Cold Snap
by Nika Dixon
Summary: Jennifer finds herself trapped in an icy nightmare off world with Evan's team.
1. Chapter 1

Yessssss it HAS been ages since I've submitted a story my fellow SGA fans! :P But life (and the plot bunnies) have shoved me back in front of the writing machine once again with this little Evan/Jen pre-ship story! It's been a while since I've written so please ignore any spelling/grammar mistakes. I haven't had to beta myself in quite a while. To all my R/K shippers, don't worry - GLENN (the plot bunnies known as the Giant Lop Ears of North Nagook) have also seeded another great R/K adventure - but only if I promised to send you this one first.

So without any more preamble, I give you "Cold Snap"!

(PS I own nothing but my love of the show)

- Nika

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* * *

**COLD SNAP**

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

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Jennifer Keller tilted her chin and let her attention drift to the midnight sky. Tiny reflections—millions of stars, suns, planets and moons—sparkled and winked against the inky backdrop. It was beautiful. And very bright. Other than the trio of small moons hovering just over the horizon, there was no ambient light to dull the view, making it seem even more intense.

Then, true to Pegasus style, the calm quiet was rudely interrupted by a long, lumbering roll of thunder that built to a drawn out, grumbling rumble before fading once again.

For a moment Jen wondered if she would ever get used to the random weather occurrences on this side of the universe.

If what was happening could be considered _weather_—a summer storm in dead calm weather, with not a cloud in sight.

_Yep. Definitely something wrong with this planet._

And of course, being Pegasus, the thunder wasn't just thunder.

Knowing she was about to be hit by what followed the rolling grumble, she hurried off the path to stand behind a large tree. Leaning into the prickly trunk, she braced herself against what was coming—a blasting gust of absolutely frigid, icy cold, wintry air.

Since she'd stepped through the gate she'd been forewarned that the weather was volatile. She hadn't really taken them seriously… until after the first blast of wind had knocked her to her knees. _Volatile_ was definitely one word for it… but _frightening_ may have been more appropriate.

_Stupid Pegasus._

The approaching wind hissed its arrival through the tree tops. She took a deep breath and hunched her shoulders.

Someone moved to stand beside her. The flighty butterfly in her stomach announced who it was before Jen confirmed with a quick glance.

_Evan Lorne. _

The solid weight of his arm draping across her shoulders grounded her. Jen buried the burning thoughts of embarrassment in place of the welcome stability. This wasn't the time or place to analyze why her stomach was executing excited little flip-flops. Normally she would be fighting to talk herself out of the nauseous spin that accompanied her whenever she went off world, not sorting through spastic twitters that made no sense.

Not that the little twitters were new.

She'd had them pretty much every time she saw, bumped into, met with, talked with, or had any kind of contact with the man.

Jen supposed eventually she was going to have to sit down and try to figure it out.

Just… not now.

The distant rustling quickly worked its way up to a raucous roar of bending branches and tearing leaves. Dirt and twigs swirled and danced in twirling cyclones down the bare path they'd followed from the gate.

"Brace yourself," Lieutenant Ellis yelled over the increasing roar. He bumped against her other side, dug his heels into the soft ground and wedged her firmly between his back, Evan's front, and the tree.

Giving up on the pretence of pretending to be strong enough to stand on her own, Jen threw her arms around Evan's waist, squeezed her eyes shut, and buried her face against his shoulder.

The wind surge hit them hard. It pushed and shoved, yanked and pressed, alternating between trying to mash her further against Evan and ripping her away. It slapped her pony tail around her head, stinging her cheeks and making her eyes water behind her tightly closed lids. Compressed between the three points keeping her upright, she held on and rode it out.

Then, just as it had each time before, the gust waned, dropped, then stopped completely leaving them surrounded once again by the quiet stillness of the late night hour.

Heavy, humid air draped down around them like a blanket, triggering some of the night creatures to resume a tentative, cricket-like chirruping.

Jen opened her eyes and glanced up into the shadowed form of the man who's body she was tucked against. She briefly hoped it was the humidity that was making her skin warmer than it should be.

Thank god it was dark and he couldn't see how red her face must be.

Evan slid his hands up her arms as she straightened away. His fingers lingered on her shoulders for a brief moment before he stepped back, leaving her standing on her own. "You know Doc, next time you want to dance, you can just ask."

Jen couldn't help but laugh, relieved to have an escape from the embarrassing spin of her thoughts. Their flirty banter was safe. It was normal. It was conversation that didn't mean anything.

"Okay, but next time I get to pick the music," she countered.

"Don't do it, Doc," Ellis leaned closer and stage whispered. "Unless you want your toes crushed."

"I'll have you know I'm an excellent dancer," Evan retorted.

"Did he just call that spastic thing he does with his arms, dancing?" Browne asked, stepping out of the trees on the far side of the path.

"He did," Ellis agreed.

"Ignore them," Evan grinned at Jen.

"I don't know," Jen shook her head slowly. "I kind of like my toes."

"Ouch," Evan tapped his fist against his chest. "Wounded."

"You'll live," Jen countered. "I'm a doctor. I know about these things."

Evan shook his head with a laugh then turned to Sanchez. "Get anything?"

The captain was staring at the screen on an Ancient scanner. "The temperature's still dropping," he frowned. "But it didn't last long enough to get a full reading. If Zelenka's modification works the way he said it should, we need a couple more blasts to have the location pinpointed."

Browne handed Jen her rucksack which had blown into the undergrowth. She shrugged her shoulders under the straps and turned back towards the path, following Sanchez and Browne onto the hard packed trail.

"Pinpoint what location?" Jen glanced at Evan, who fell into step beside her.

"This entire planet is one big, round glacier," Evan answered as they walked. "It's completely frozen, with the exception of this island."

"Glacier?" Jen glanced around at the lush vegetation surrounding them. "How?"

"Zelenka seems to think it's some kind of ancient experiment in terraforming," he replied.

"Experiment?" Jen eyed the overhanging foliage with new found trepidation. She shuddered under the memories of all the problems discovered whenever someone uncovered an Ancient _experiment_. "What kind of...experiment?"

"The _unexplained power source somewhere beneath us_ kind of experiment," Ellis answered from behind her.

"Beneath us?" Jen glanced down at the dirt beneath her feet.

"According to Dr. Zelenka, it's not dangerous," Sanchez called out over his shoulder.

"Why doesn't that make me feel better?" she muttered, earning her a grin from Evan.

"There's no shield," Evan explained. "So Zelenka believes that the entire island is protected by some kind of Ancient terraforming system that controls the humidity, rain, temperature… a massive climate control. A thermostat."

"A broken thermostat," Ellis added.

Evan looked at the thick forest. "It would seem that whatever is keeping the island alive is loosing its effectiveness. The outer edges are starting to freeze."

"The thunder?" Jen asked.

"Follows right before each blast of cold."

"Right," Jen nodded, wondering if perhaps she should have taken a bit longer to get the full details before she'd stepped through the gate.

The brief explanation she'd received from the security teams had been the quick summary that SGA2 had been sent to confirm the population of the small island had been evacuated. They'd arrived to find the entire settlement was empty, except for one very sick man who'd been left behind.

No one said anything about freaky thunder, insane wind gusts, or a giant thermostat. She expected that kind of forgetfulness from Rodney, but Zelenka was usually more forthcoming with the warnings. She sighed and shook her head. She really shouldn't be surprised. Nothing ever went as planned when she was off world. Ever.

"So, the entire place is empty?" she ventured.

"Total ghost town," Sanchez nodded.

"Seriously creepy. B movie horror scene waiting to happen," Ellis added, hurrying up to Jen's other side as the path left the canopy of trees and opened up to a large field.

"The old man is a nice touch though. Even his voice is all…" he wiggled his fingers and mimicked a low raspy voice "_beware_…" He shook his head. "The only thing missing is Vincent Price. Totally reminds me of that movie where—"

"What Mr. Pop Culture means to say," Evan interrupted, "is yes. The settlement is completely abandoned."

"Except for Merlin," Browne chimed in.

"Merlin?" Jen blinked. "His name is Merlin?"

"No…" Evan shook his head. "But it should be."

They walked in silence down the slope of the hillside towards the village. Walls and buildings loomed up out of the darkness. Hollow shells, motionless and silent. The main street was small and narrow, its two storey buildings concentrated around a small central square. Doors stood open, shutters were thrown wide.

There was no sound other than their own footsteps.

Despite the light of the three moons now clearly visible over the rooftops, everything seemed darker…gloomier…more sinister than it should have been.

Or maybe she was just picking up on the tension that now surrounded her escorts.

Jen shivered despite the warmth of the evening. "Okay," she whispered, letting the word escape with a long exhale.

"Told ya," Ellis nodded, adjusting his P90. He stepped closer to one of the buildings, switched on his flashlight and directed the beam into an open doorway. "Creepy."

"Just relax," Evan moved forward. "There's no one here."

Jen tried not to let their apprehension affect her own, but found it next to impossible. Her heart added a few extra beats. Yawning doorways. Dark windows. Total silence. The Lieutenant was right. This place was a horror movie waiting to happen. She found herself quite content to be in the company of four armed men as they moved slowly through the center of town.

When they reached the edge of the square, she was led around to the back of the last building.

"In here." Sanchez stepped forward and pushed open a recessed door. A faint flicker of yellowed light escaped, pooling across the cobbled street.

Jen took a deep breath then followed the captain inside.

Lit by the glow of a single candle, the tiny room was completely empty except for a bone-thin man lying on small cot in the far corner.

She was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the white haired, white bearded, white robed individual.

_Merlin_ was definitely an accurate description.

"The only thing missing is the pointy hat," Ellis whispered.

Jen shrugged out of her knapsack and knelt on the floor beside the elderly man. Judging by his waxy pallor he was nearly, if not completely, dead. His skin was cold and rubbery, yet a faint pulse ticked erratically beneath the pads of her fingers.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, the irises completely clouded over in white.

Jen gasped as his calloused fingers clamped down around her wrist. She jerked back and bumped against Evan's knees. She tugged away from the old man but his grip was strong, pinching her skin.

Evan dropped to a crouch beside her.

"The judgment comes…" the grizzled old man croaked. He exhaled the warning with a raspy cough. "Leave. Leave now…" Then his eyes fluttered closed and with a final wheezing breath, his arm dropped to the floor. He didn't move again.

Hands gripped Jen's upper arms, hauling her to her feet.

"You okay, Doc?" Evan asked, glancing pointedly her arm.

Jen rubbed her wrist, willing away the disturbing resonance of the man's cold, dry skin. "Yes, I'm fine. He just… startled me."

Ellis leaned closer and angled his head. "Is he…"

Jen hesitated briefly, then squatted next to the old man. She returned her fingers to the side of Merlin's neck. He was gone. She pulled the blanket up across the man's face. "I don't think there was anything I could have done at this point."

"You know," Browne muttered as they stepped outside, returning to the darkness. "Just once I'd like to get a _leave now_ that doesn't include the _before its too late_."

"Actually he did just say _leave now_," Ellis corrected. "There was no _before it's too late_."

"There's _always_ a 'before it's too late'," Sanchez added, scanning the rooftops of the buildings down the length of the street.

"What do you think he meant?" Jen asked quietly. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to whisper, but it seemed appropriate.

"The part about judgment coming?" Evan questioned, his voice also low.

Jen nodded, eying the eerily empty buildings.

"No idea," he finally answered. "But I'm not sure we should stick around to find out."

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	2. Chapter 2

They were a third of the way back to the gate when Evan stopped so suddenly Jen had to sidestep to avoid smacking into him. She was feeling quite impressed at her prowess…until her foot caught a tree root. She twisted sideways and would have fallen if not for the Major's fast grab on the straps of her knapsack.

He set her back onto her feet. "New feet , Doc?"

Her retort was cut off by a growing reverberation echoing through the dark forest. Unlike thunder, this rumbling seemed to be coming from the ground. Jen could even feel the tremors through the soles of her boots.

"What the hell…?" Evan glanced over his shoulder at Sanchez.

The captain dug into his pocket for the scanner. Blue light from the small screen illuminated his face. "It's not the power source." He looked up and shrugged. "I mean, the scanner's not showing any power surges…if that helps?"

"Not really."

"Has this happened before?" Jen asked.

"No," Evan replied turning towards the trees to their left. "This...this is new."

"I don't like new…" Browne muttered, watching the right side of the trail.

Jen held her breath, listening, analyzing the feel of the thumping vibration beneath her feet. There was no way this was going to be anything but trouble.

"This is _so_ not going to be good," Evan sighed. He turned on his flashlight and aimed the beam up the trail.

"Look." Jen pointed at the glowing reflection of two tiny eyes peering out from behind a rock.

The glowing eyes were then joined by another pair. Then two more. Then a dozen more. And more after that. And they were getting closer. Fast.

Cursing, Evan yanked Jen off the trail as a large group of furry critters bounded past. They scurried by in an undulating stream of feet and ears, bounding around legs and over combat boots. Rabbits, larger raccoon shaped animals, several bigger, lumbering creatures that resembled stout pigs. The surge scurried past, snorting and huffing. Jen wasn't sure the wild parade was going to stop, but after what seemed like several minutes the last pairs had disappeared down the path, leaving the group in silence once again.

Jen glanced at the others as P90s were slowly lowered. She let out the breath she'd been holding. _Rabbits_? All that for a stampede of rabbits and raccoons?

She clamped her hand over her mouth but a giggle escaped. She couldn't help it. The tension of being on such a creepy planet cracked at the sight of a flurry of fuzzy animals. She'd been so convinced that every noise translated into monsters that it had never occurred to her it could be something so unassuming as a bunny.

A stampede of bunnies. It was so preposterous, even Zelenka couldn't have thought that one up if he'd tried. This time she couldn't stop the laugh.

"Come on Dr. Doolittle," Evan snorted. "Let's get back to the gate before the rest of Noah's ark decides to go for a run."

Everyone stilled as another wave of rumbling slowly increased, and this time, the ground was vibrating with enough force their bodies were swaying.

"You just had to say it…" Ellis groaned.

"I don't think those are rabbits," Sanchez shouted as they quickly moved off the path and into the underbrush.

Jen stared at the ground in shock, her mind instantly defaulting to _earthquake_. She stumbled to the side, sliding across the vibrating earth.

"Take cover!" Evan shouted. He grabbed Jen's knapsack, slung her into the forest and shoved her to the ground. Jen scrambled forward on her hands and knees, wedging herself in beside the toppled trunk of a tree. Evan dropped beside her, covering her body with his.

The entire forest shook under a deafening roar. Shadows and shapes blocked out the moons. Heavy bodies flew over and around them. A multitude of large beasts thundered past, bouncing around the trees, leaping over the undergrowth and crashing through the foliage. Dirt and pebbles rained down, kicked and thrown by running hooves. There were growls and snorts, screeches and screams, high pitched barks and something that sounded very much like a cougar or mountain lion.

Jen tried to make herself as small as possible. She squashed herself back against the log they were partially sheltered under, but her knapsack was too bulky to let her move any further. She grabbed for Evan's vest, pulling him closer against her to keep him as flat as possible against the ground. She had half a mind to tell him not to be so damn macho protecting her and to get himself lower, but the only sound she managed was a loud shriek when a massive shape vaulted overhead, blocking out everything.

Evan swore and covered her head and face with his arms. She buried her nose against his throat, threw her arms around his torso and clung tightly, riding out the nightmare as the world crashed around them.

The rush of creatures seemed to go on forever.

Just when she started to think it would never stop, the stampede abated, returning the ground to a normal stability. The last stragglers—smaller and weaker—skittered after the faster moving throng in a flurry of chattering squeaks.

And then…silence.

After a few moments, Evan lifted his head.

"You okay?" he whispered, his face hovering above hers. It was too dark to read his expression but Jen could pretty much guess it reflected the shock she too was feeling.

"Yeah…" she whispered back. "I…I think so. You?"

"Still in one piece."

Jen accepted his hand, clinging a little longer than necessary after he'd helped her up off the ground. He didn't release her fingers and she want him to. Not quite yet.

A few feet away Ellis stood up with a groan. He rolled his shoulders. "Did anyone get the number of that bus?"

Sanchez stepped out from behind the trunk of a large tree. He flicked on his flashlight and shone the light down the trail. What had once been a narrow trail was now a trampled swath of destroyed plants and uprooted trees the width of a city street. He whistled. "Someone needs to put the Jumanji board back."

Exiting the undergrowth on the far side of the trail, Browne brushed dirt off the front of his vest. "Okay, seriously?" he exclaimed. "Next time Zelenka says someplace is safe I say we send _him_ to explore first."

Jen felt Evan's fingers tighten against hers. She looked up, then down to where he was staring. The beam of his flashlight outlined the deep press of a massive paw print in the dirt, dangerously close to where her head had been. A few inches closer…

"Oh my," she croaked, surprised she was able to find her voice. _Don't think about it, don't think about it. _

Another faint rumble made everyone spin towards the end of the path.

Evan released her hand and stepped in front of her. He raised his P90, adding light to the beams of the others to illuminate the crushed trail left by the stampede.

"Good lord," Jen exhaled. _If the little ones were running from the big ones, what are the big one's running from_?

Ellis groaned. "Never say it out loud, Doc. Never say it out loud."

"Sorry," she whispered, automatically taking a pre-emptive step towards the protective shelter of the trees along the side of the trail.

"I'm thinking a trip to the gate right now is _not _our best course of action," Evan said firmly. He took a step back and placed a hand on Jen's shoulder, turning her in the direction the animals had run.

"Village?" Ellis questioned.

"Village," Evan confirmed. "Double time."

* * *

Despite the fact that the gate was in the opposite direction, Jen was quite happy to return to the safety of the village. Since the other option involved a very real possibility of being trampled to death, spending the rest of the night in a horror-movie style abandoned town seemed like the lesser of two evils.

They'd just reached the smaller storage buildings on the outskirts of the town when the third wave of beasts broke through the tree line to the south. Jen stared in shock at the hulking shapes crashing across the open field. Silhouetted by the moons, the shadowy stampede crushed shrubs and saplings as they made their way around the outskirts of the tiny town.

Jen gasped. Several of the animals looked as big as elephants.

Evan's shoulder bumped hers and she stole a quick glance at the man beside her. His expression was grave.

"I really hope that's the last of them," Sanchez commented, moving to stand on Jen's left.

"Just be glad we didn't have to play mouse to _that_," Browne commented, pointing out a massive, hulking shape that was the size of delivery truck.

"Come on," Evan backed towards the main street. "Let's get out of the open."

Jen was very happy to comply.

As soon as they reached the larger, structured buildings, Evan commandeered a simple, two storey unit. After ensuring the place was indeed unoccupied, they set up shop on the main floor.

Sanchez would take the first watch, although no one could give Jen a straight answer when she asked what they were watching _for_. More stampeding animals? And if so, just what exactly, were the animals stampeding from. Or better yet… where were they stampeding _too_? Wasn't this entire land mass an island? Would they run right off the side into the ocean?

In the end she gave up on the questions and deferred to the Major's expertise.

Because she'd been sent on a medical mission, Jen hadn't confirmed a required check-in. The standard default was twelve hours, which meant they wouldn't be missed until noon the next day. The gate was about a thirty minute hike, which would get them back in plenty of time, if they left at dawn, which was approximately six hours away.

Six hours to 'get some rest' as Evan had put it.

Standing at the top of the second floor stairway, Jen glanced around the only other room in the house—the bedroom. One bare wall framed a tall dresser, and the opposite side centered a narrow bed with a naked mattress. The shadows were darker than black, drawing long across the floor, sliced only by the light from the moons filtering in through a pair of narrow windows. It was dark and creepy and made her think of all the horror movie rules that seemed to translate quite well to Pegasus - including the standard never go into the basement when the power's out, and _never_ run upstairs when someone or something is after you.

Yet here she was.

Upstairs.

She couldn't seem to convince her feet that there was nothing to be afraid of. Instead she remained frozen in place on the landing.

In the room below Evan and the team discussed next steps. Jen almost laughed aloud to hear Ellis' objection to getting any sleep what-so-ever, but bit it back when he voiced his reason; the thought of sleeping in a bed previously occupied by a recently vanished person was very Stephen King indeed.

Even if she was suddenly feeling completely exhausted.

It had been the end of an unscheduled double shift when she'd received the request from the gateroom. Opting to save time in trying to find someone to take the call, Jen had stepped up and taken the request herself. Now, coupled with the rise and fall of adrenaline her heart had dealt with several times over today, her body was more than ready for a crash. But her mind wasn't.

Stiffing a yawn, she talked herself out of any Freddie Kruger references and walked towards at the edge of the uncomfortable looking mattress. Yet no matter how many positive words she quoted in her head she couldn't quite bring herself to lay down.

_Don't go to sleep. Don't go upstairs. Don't separate from the group. _Yep. And now she was upstairs...alone...and thinking of going to bed. It was the perfect horror movie cocktail. The only thing missing was a knife wielding psycho killer.

_Oh yeah...definitely not getting any sleep tonight. _

She scurried away from the bed to the tiny windows facing the main street. Pressing her face to the cool glass she peered out into the darkness.

Just what had happened to all the villagers? There were no signs of an attack or any kind of struggle, and no indication that any of the animals had ventured into the town. Instead it appeared as though the occupants had neatly packed up and left. But if the stampeding animals were the cause of their exodus, wouldn't the people have been in more of a hurry? Leave more of a mess?

The heavy fall of boots on the stairs made her jump with such violence she bumped her forehead on the glass and cracked her arm off the window sill. She grabbed her stinging elbow. Yellowed light flickered on the walls, swaying its brightness as the carrier approached. Jen started to laugh when she realized was one of the guys, and not some headless maniac with a chainsaw. She clamped her hand over her mouth.

Evan walked into the room, a old fashioned lantern swinging from his fingers. The warm glow chased the creeping shadows back into the corners where they belonged. Feeling ridiculous at her reaction, Jen shook her head violently. She hoped the low light would hide the heated flush that was now creeping across her cheeks.

"What?" he grinned when she let a relieved giggle escape.

"Oh, you know… just going over the standard horror movie rules in my head," she admitted with chagrin.

"Ah," he set the lantern down next to the bare mattress. "Never open portals to hell?" he ventured. "Or never hide in the closet?"

"Never go upstairs when someone's chasing you."

He stepped closer, joining her at the window. "Well, technically someone _isn't_ chasing you, so you're good to go so long as you stay out of the basement… and of course, don't shower alone."

"Right," Jen blinked. "Cos showering alone…?"

"Is never any fun," he winked.

"Uh-huh. " She rolled her eyes. "And does that line ever work?"

"I don't know," he leaned closer. "Does it?"

Jen whacked him across the arm. "No, it does not."

Evan pointed to the lantern. "Found that downstairs. Thought you might appreciate a little light."

"Oh god yes," she exhaled. "I feel like I'm in an Edgar Allan Poe book come to life. I keep waiting for the raven. It's silly, I know. It's just this place is so…"

"Creepy?" he voiced.

"Creepy."

They stood in silence for a few moments, staring at the bed. Jen tried not to connect dots between _bed _and _Evan_, but her tired mind was not cooperating.

Evan cleared his throat. "You should get some sleep."

"No…no…I'm…I'm good."

"I know damn well you just finished a double shift," he countered, frowning. He turned towards her and threaded his arms across his chest. "So don't try and tell me you aren't tired."

Jen sighed. She _was_ tired. But sleeping...here...now? She tried to find a good argument but couldn't seem to find the energy to string the thoughts together. She stared up into his face, watching the play of candle light changing the color of his eyes from blue to grey and back again. She knew she was staring, but couldn't seem to move away. He was just so… distracting.

He took a deep breath, then dropped his arms to his side, relaxing his stance. He leaned a closer, a half smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Sleep, Jen. I promise you I'm not going anywhere. No one's getting past me. Okay?"

She felt a tiny little twirl in her stomach when he called her Jen. When he was shouting at her to avoid something death-causing it was usually _Jennifer_. In the company of others it was always _Doc_… and in front of the recruits always the respectful _Dr. Keller_. He rarely—if ever—called her _Jen_.

She liked it.

Maybe a bit too much.

He dropped his chin and placed his mouth close to her ear. "Go to bed," he whispered, his breath warm against the side of her cheek.

Warmth flooded her cheeks and she turned her head. With a sheepish glance she stepped back and tentatively sat on the edge of the mattress, giving it a slight prod with her fingers before pulling her feet up and laying down on her side. Folding her arm under her head she looked up. Evan shrugged out of his coat and bent to tuck it around her, cocooning her in the residual warmth from his body heat.

He stared down at her for a moment, his expression serious.

"What?" she frowned, lifting herself up.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, stilling her. "Nothing. Nothing. Get some rest."

"Yes, Doctor," she half-smiled, and lay back down.

Evan turned away from the bed and walked towards the doorway. "We'll be right downstairs."

"Okay."

"Jen?"

She rolled her head and looked over her shoulder to where he was standing in the doorway. He took a step towards the bed, hesitated, then backed towards the landing. "Good night," he said quickly, then retreated down the stairs before she could answer.

"G'night," she whispered into the empty room.

She sighed and snuggled his coat further around her upper body. Okay maybe a few hours rest wasn't going to be as bad as all that. Closing her eyes, Jen buried her nose under the collar of his jacket, inhaling the faint scent of his aftershave. After a few moments she relented and let the security of his essence lull her into sleep.

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	3. Chapter 3

Standing by the small window, Evan watched the darkness and fought with an internal restlessness. He'd analyzed pretty much every scenario surrounding stampeding animals, and each one had lead him back around to the same answer…

_Not good._

Dawn was hours away and the temperature was still dropping. He had debated sending Ellis or Browne back to the gate alone, but without knowing what else may be stampeding through the undergrowth he wasn't quite ready to make that call. No one was injured and no one was under attack, so holding until morning was still the best option. And the more eyes on Jen, the better.

He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping form on the bed and shook his head with amusement. She'd twisted herself into his jacket and was now wearing it like an oversized housecoat. He wasn't sure she'd even been awake when she'd done it. She'd slept through three more pairings of thunder and wind without so much as a flutter. The woman could sleep through a death-metal concert. Yet he knew that if he called out _Doctor_ she'd be up and ready in seconds. _ER Rules_, she always called it; being able to hit the ground running. A concept he more than understood.

He frowned into the darkness.

He didn't like that she was here on the planet. But his desire to have her back in the city where she was safe had nothing to do with any rumour calling her jinxed.

The luck of Jennifer Keller he could more than handle.

What he couldn't handle was any thought, hint or suggestion of anything happening to her. Ever. Because that…well that was just not an option.

It still amazed him that he hadn't even seen it coming. One moment they'd been stepping back and forth in their usual pattern of flirty banter, and then next he'd found himself blindsided with the realization that the petite blonde with the healers touch had somehow managed to steal his heart right out from under his nose.

And he was supposed to be the observant one.

Her hand flipped over, grasping at something that eluded her dreams. "Ev," she whispered.

"Right here," he answered, leaning down.

Her eyes fluttered open. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

She muttered an apology and closed her eyes.

In the distance another roll of thunder started its building crescendo. With a parting glance at his sleeping companion, Evan returned to the window to watch, and wait, willing morning to come quickly.

.

* * *

.

A violent rocking shook Jen out of her dream and rolled her onto the cold wooden floor. She landed awkwardly, smashing her shoulder against the wooden planks. She sat up, struggling to remember where she was and why the world was trying to scramble her insides.

_Planet. Animals. Stampede._

The memories shook free and bounced clearly through her mind. She reached for the bed frame and tried to pull herself to her feet but the side to side motion made it almost impossible. Chunks of grey plaster fell from the ceiling, shattering into dusty shards next to her head. She gasped and twisted her face away, letting go of the post to cover her face and eyes. The vibrations knocked her to her knees.

She twisted around to face the violent rattling of the two windows. One of the panes shattered and blew inward sending shards of glass spraying into the room. She cried out and covered her face.

"Jennifer!" Evan called out from the lower floor.

"Evan!" Jen crawled forward. It was like trying to navigate a fun-house floor.

Evan appeared in the doorway. The shuddering motion sent him staggering forward. Throwing his arms around her shoulders he yanked her to her feet. He bounced back against the door frame, braced his legs, and held her tightly.

Jen kept one arm around his waist and used the other to push back against the other side of the door, helping to stabilize them both. She turned her face towards his, locking herself into his gaze, using the icy blue of his eyes to keep herself grounded. She silently repeated the internal mantra _if he was here then she was safe_ over and over until the tremor finally faded and stuttered to a stop.

Evan shook his head when she tried to straighten away. "Not yet," he warned quietly.

Then she heard it. The telltale approach of the wind.

"Ohmygod," she squeaked, squeezing him tighter as the roar increased in pitch.

The gust shook the house almost as violently as the tremor.

Once the howling abated Evan grabbed her hand. Jen followed him down the stairs to where Sanchez was waiting in the front door. He ushered her past the Captain and out into the sunny light of morning.

The icy temperature of the outside air slapped her cheeks. Jen gasped at the shock in temperature. "Holy crap," she wheezed, her breath clearly visible. She coughed, her lungs objecting to the spastic temperature change. "Isn't this supposed to be a _tropical_ island?"

"Forty degrees colder than last night," Sanchez turned towards her, the Ancient scanner in his hand. "And its dropping."

"Was that an earthquake?" she asked, turning towards Evan.

He shook his head. "That thunder we've been hearing has been getting progressively worse."

Jen turned to stare at the evidence of the storms increasing damage. The top corners of several of the buildings had crumbled into dusty piles along the edge of the street. Over half the windows were broken, shattered from the vibration or the wind, and anything unattached had been blown into piles against the flattened walls.

"I guess so," she whispered.

Evan glanced at the group, his expression serious. "Vacation's over. Let's get back to the gate before this gets any worse."

Jen pulled Evan's coat off and held it out to him.

He shook his head, firmly. "Put it on."

"Don't be silly. I'm wearing a jacket already. I don't need two. The walk will keep me warm enough." When he didn't react she shoved the jacket against his hands. "I promise if I get cold I'll ask for it back."

"Doc…" he warned, his expression firm and emotionless.

Jen frowned at his no-nonsense tone. If there was one thing she'd learned during her time on Atlantis it was not to argue with him when he was in 'military mode'. It was like trying to change a brick wall into Jello.

She relented, shrugging back into the over sized jacket.

"Let's move," Evan ordered.

They hurried out through the end of town towards the trampled path from the animals.

Jen found her steps faltering as they maneuvered through the crushed vegetation. Everything was flattened. Squashed and broken. _They_ could have been squashed and broken..if they hadn't turned back towards the town when they did. She tightened Evan's jacket around her shoulders, fighting both the inside chill and the outside cold.

Her feet slipped and she slide down into a massive footprint that easily fit both of her booted feet and still had room left over.

"Dear god," she whispered.

"Don't think about it," Ellis hooked his fingers around her upper arm and guided her up and out of the large divot.

"It's hard not to," she replied, her eyes seeking Evan's. The Major had stopped a few feet away and was watching her with a mix of wariness and concern.

"Keep moving," he ordered, breaking her out of her temporary trance.

She nodded. Moving. Right. Moving was good. Especially moving that meant getting back to the gate. She hurried after him.

"Good news is we've almost figured out where Zelenka's power source is coming from," Sanchez announced, walking beside her.

"And that's good how?" Jen glanced towards him.

"He has no idea," Ellis answered from her other side.

"It's good because if we find it, we can turn it off," Sanchez replied.

"On," Ellis countered.

"On?" Jen glanced between the two.

"Turn it on," Ellis glanced from Sanchez to Jen. "If we turn it off, then there's nothing keeping the glacier out. So we want to turn it back _on_."

"And you know how to turn it off…on?" Jen looked over at the Captain.

He shrugged. "Of course. How hard can it be?"

Ellis laughed. "That's dumbass speak for '_absolutely no idea what he's doing_'."

"Says the man with _out_ a degree in engineering," Sanchez grinned.

Jen blinked at the Captain. "You have a degree in engineering?"

"No, but Browne does." Sanchez angled his chin at man taking up the rear.

Jen glanced over her shoulder. Browne winked.

She fought a smile, letting their back and forth taunting keep her from concentrating on the swath of destruction they were navigating through. She knew they were doing it on purpose, and she didn't mind one bit. But she also didn't miss the fact that Evan hadn't joined in. Instead he'd chosen to set the pace out front, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Without the smooth easy trail of the original path to follow, it was well over half an hour before they reached the end of the trail and the meadow that would lead them back to the Stargate.

Stepping out into the open Jen let out a relieved sigh, realizing that even with their attempts at distraction she'd been half-holding her breath since they'd left the village. Eagerly anticipating the sight of the silvery round arch of the gate in the wide field below, she leaned forward and tried to peer around Evan's shoulder.

He stopped so suddenly she slammed into his back.

Grabbing his waist to keep from falling over she exhaled an apology, but the words caught in her throat. She lifted herself up onto her toes and stared over his shoulder at the meadow stretching out before them.

Where yesterday it had been soft and green, covered with flowing grasses and beautiful wildflowers—today it was completely frozen and buried under a foot of snow.

"Holy shit," Browne exclaimed.

It was a winter wonderland—a frosty white mural stretched out as far as they could see. And it wasn't just a light dusting. Everything was completely buried. Everything. Including the gate. Long, jagged ice crystals hung off the top of the arch and the spot where the DHD should have been was a drifted mound of fluffy white.

Browne's curse summed it up perfectly.

"Holy shit," Jen repeated.

.


	4. Chapter 4

Jen turned her head back and forth, analyzing the different seasons, stunned that they were so close together yet so separated. Summer behind. Winter ahead. Green foliage to white frosting. The scents of pine and wildflowers or a cold, crisp freshness.

Only after Ellis had brought her back a snowball did she finally admit to herself there really was a frozen wasteland in front of her.

It was so discerning she was starting to feel nauseous. Winter. Summer. Winter.

Evan's hand landed firmly against her shoulder. "You're making me dizzy."

"Sorry," she apologized, automatically leaning into him. The heat of his body radiated through the cover of both jackets she wore reminding her just how cold out it really was. She shivered. "How can you be so warm?"

He laughed and dropped his arm across her shoulder, pulling her closer. "Still want to give up the jacket?"

"What?" she blinked. "Oh. Oh yes of course." She felt the heat climbing up her neck to her cheeks. Here she was selfishly complaining about the cold and all he had on was a long-sleeved shirt under his vest. She hurried to shrug off his arm and return his jacket when he tightened his hold, wedging her against his side.

"Jen," he scolded. "It was a joke."

"Oh." She caught her breath and forced herself to concentrate on the spot where Sanchez and Browne were wading through knee-deep snow towards the DHD in the distance.

She shook her head slowly. If she were being honest, the scene laid out before her was absolutely gorgeous. It reminded her of winters back home – mornings after overnight snowfall, with the sun sparkling off the surfaces, and everything completely covered in a blanket of fresh white snow. She found herself smiling with the memories of toboggan races down hill behind the hospital. Ice skating on the pond. Begging her Dad to lace her skates so they'd be nice and tight. Drinking hot chocolate out of the lid of the thermos. She was suddenly taken with the urge to fall onto her back and make a snow angel.

"Angel?" Evan repeated.

Jen turned, feeling a light-headedness at how close he was standing. How close _they _were standing. Together. Surprised by the current colour of his eyes, she lost her train of thought. Usually his eyes were a blue-grey depending on his mood. A deeper cobalt blue when he was in Major mode. But right now they were almost the same colour as the sky. Ice blue.

"What?" his brow furrowed.

"Hmm?" Jen blinked, missing the question completely.

"You said _Angel_," he prompted.

"I did? Oh. Yes. I did. Right." Flustered, she looked away and took a deep breath. She glanced sideways at him. "Snow angel. I…I was just thinking about winters growing up."

"Ah," he grinned and pointed to where Ellis was standing the bottom of the hill. "Well far be it for me to stand in the way."

"No, no," she flushed, trying to concentrate on Sanchez and Browne's progress towards the gate. Which worked. And didn't. So she switched to analyzing the random shapes in the snow, forcing herself to look anywhere but at the man beside her.

A large figure caught her eye to the right of the gate and she tipped her head, shifting so she could see it straight on. She stared at it, recognizing it as an animal—outlining the torso and head, antlers and legs. A large deer?

Something about the way the animal was standing looked awkward. It didn't move… twitch… shift. It just stood there…completely still. Jen would have thought it was just scared or wary of Sanchez and Browne, but it was looking in the wrong direction.

She frowned and leaned forward.

"Jen?" Evan called softly.

Something about the form teased her subconscious. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was looking at something very important. She shrugged out from beneath Evan's arm and took several steps forward, ignoring the rush of cold that suddenly covered her now exposed side.

"Jen, what is it?" Evan moved with her.

Jen pointed to the familiar form. "What's that look like to you?"

Evan shifted his weight and rested his cheek against her shoulder, sighting down the length of her outstretched arm. "Big animal, long legs, with horns… standing next to that large bush?"

"Yeah."

"A deer."

"Yes… I mean no… that's not what I meant…"

"It looks like one of those statues people put on their front lawn."

She nodded slowly. He was right. It did resemble an oversized lawn ornament, which for an Earth item looked very out of place in a Pegasus planet. But that wasn't the issue. No there was something else. Something hovering right on the edges of her conscious mind.

Something important.

Something dangerous.

"Jen, what's wrong. What do you see?" Evan's tone was starting to reflect her own increased level of agitation.

She shifted her weight and shook her head, keeping her eyes on the statue. "The animal…" She struggled to put it into words, hoping that vocalizing her thoughts would help her sort out why she now had a tightly wound knot sitting in the pit of her stomach.

"It looks like a statue…like…like it's just standing there. But it wasn't there yesterday…so why is it there now? Why isn't it running away? I think it's…frozen. And if it _is_ frozen, why would it just stand there and freeze to death? In the same spot. Without moving. All the other animals ran away. Why didn't it?"

She shook her head, taking a few more steps down the hill. Evan's firm grip on her arm kept her from moving any further down the hill. "That's far enough."

Jen caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A quick glance confirmed that Ellis was walking back up the hill toward them, his attention shifting from where she and Evan stood, to the direction they were looking. Jen turned her attention back to the deer.

Her heart was now kicking in with an extra beat. The animals had all run away. Run away from this side of the island. Run away from the gate.

All the animals except this one…who was balanced very awkwardly on only 2 legs.

A feat that would have been impossible for an animal that size to do for the amount of time that would have been required to freeze it in place.

"Unless…" she whispered.

"Unless what?" Evan asked, his fingers twitching against her arm.

Jen staggered as the answer hit her hard. She spun to face Evan. "It's been flash frozen," she gasped. She lifted her right hand and snapped her fingers. Then she pointed to the deer. "Frozen so quickly it couldn't escape."

_Browne and Sanchez. _

Jen spun towards the bottom of the hill and took off running. Something down there was cold enough to freeze a full sized deer in an all out run. Something that would freeze a man just as quickly—leaving them just as dead.

Evan's arm around her waist swung her sideways and she slid in the frosted grass. "Jennifer, stop!"

"Call them back!" she begged, pointing to where Browne and Sanchez were crunching through the snow towards the gate. "Now!" she twisted frantically, trying to pry Evan's arms off. "Stop them! Hurry! Please!"

Without hesitation Ellis spun on his heel and ran full speed down the hill, shouting to the two men in the distance.

"Stay!" Evan commanded, shoving her back towards the top of the hill before taking off after the Lieutenant, shouting commands into his com.

The beauty of the winter wonderland forgotten, Jen ignored Evan's order and ran after him, feet crunching over snow that shouldn't be there and lungs aching with frosty air that wasn't supposed to be here either.

.

* * *

.

"Flash freeze," Sanchez muttered, lowering the binoculars. "That _so_ can't be good."

Browne turned towards Jen, nodding his appreciation. "Good catch, Doc."

The others murmured their agreement.

Except Evan.

Instead congratulating her quick thinking he was fighting the urge to strangle the damn fool woman for ignoring his command to stay put. She hadn't gone to the top of the hillside like he'd told her to… oh no. She'd chosen to rush after him into god-knows-what kind of icy danger. He'd lost years off his life when she'd skidded to a stop next to him in the knee deep snow of the valley floor.

"Move," he ordered, pointing to the top of the rise. "Away from this thing."

When he drew beside Jen he tugged her around, forcing her to walk in front of him where he could keep an eye on her. She hurried her steps, moving up the slippery, snowy slope of the buried burn.

Reaching the top they all turned to face the meadow, the unvoiced thought hanging tersely in the air between them.

With the arctic air surrounding the gate there was no way they'd be able to dial out.

"Forward is obviously not an option," Evan mused aloud. "Let's head back to find the power source and see if we can get…whatever this thing is…back up and running before—"

He was cut off by a rapid beeping.

Sanchez yanked the scanner out of his vest pocket. He touched the screen and silenced the alarm. "Fifteen minutes," he announced.

Jen glanced at the group. "Fifteen minutes?"

"Until the next tremor," Sanchez confirmed, stuffing the scanner back in his pocket. "Sir?" he turned to Evan.

Evan nodded. "The ridge two clicks back," he ordered.

Sanchez took off at a run.

Evan spun Jen around and yanked her knapsack off her shoulders.

"Evan…" she protested when he tossed it to Ellis.

"No arguments, Doc," he shook his head. "We have less than fifteen minutes to get ourselves into some shelter before that hurricane blast hits so move it."

.

* * *

.

Jen's ears rang as the last howls of the gale raced into the distance. The eerie silence was both a welcome break and a shock from the roaring they'd just endured.

The blast had been incredibly strong—bending branches and ripping the tops of the trees naked. Under shelter of the rocky outcropping they'd been protected from the brunt of the blast while having a frightening view of the damage caused.

Jen lifted her head out from under Evan's arm.

"Everyone okay?" Evan called out, giving her a quick once over.

She almost bit out that she should be checking him for injuries, not the other way around.

"Well that was exciting," Ellis rolled towards her. He reached up, pulled a twig out of her hair and handed it to her.

"Exciting…" she blinked at the small branch. "Right." She patted the side of her head in search of any other clinging debris and yanked a small leaf out of the bottom of her pony tail.

Evan helped her to her feet.

Browne looked at the sky. "It's snowing."

Everyone tilted their eyes upwards to the tiny white specks drifting lazily downward. Jen held out her hand. A small flake landed on her palm and quickly melted.

"Wow," she breathed. "It really is snowing."

She turned towards Evan, but the Major was walking back along the edge of the ridge. She hesitated, then followed. A few moments later he stopped. Jen joined him, as did the others.

Side by side they stared down across the wide, stampeded swath that lead back towards the gate.

Winter had moved in.

Everything—ground, trees, rocks—was frosted white and frozen over, completely covered in snow and ice.

The air crackled and snapped like ice cubes breaking in a glass of water. A large branch fell, shattering onto the ground below and breaking into smaller pieces.

Jen automatically took a step back. "Wow," she exhaled. "That's…"

"…very Narnia," Browne finished quietly.

"If it were Narnia we'd have fur coats," Ellis glanced sideways at him.

"Just so long as we don't meet any talking lions," Browne countered.

"The earthquake must be the effect of the snow taking over," Sanchez interrupted, turning to face them. "It's about two clicks back to the gate and the tremor's are just over an hour apart."

Evan glanced at his watch. "Six hours until we miss check-in."

"If the rate of expansion stays the same the snow will hit the village in half that time," Ellis calculated.

"That deer was at least a click on the other side of the snow," Browne reminded them, bringing the bigger issue into light.

Snow was manageable. Freezing in an instant was not.

Sanchez stepped towards Evan and handed him the Ancient scanner. "Good news is the last tremor pinpointed the location of the power source."

"And the bad news?" Evan glanced at the scanner then handed it back to the Captain.

Sanchez stared at his CO. "The power source is just on the other side of the village. If the rate of expansion stays the same, and taking into account that the death-freeze is about a click behind the snow front… we have five hours before we..." he pointed to the snow in the distance. "Turn into _that_. Permanently."

.


	5. Chapter 5

Evan ushered the group into a two-story dwelling near the middle of the small town. It seemed to be one of the safer locations. The stout structure was tucked between similar buildings which would act as a buffer for the next wind blast.

"Split up," he ordered. "Gather anything you can find, no matter how insignificant it seems, and bring it back here." He glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes to the next blast so be back here in fifteen."

He hooked Jen's arm when she brushed past him to follow his team out into the street. "You're with me," he commanded quietly.

"Evan, we need as many hands as we can get," she scolded.

Evan nodded. He wasn't disagreeing with her. He just wasn't agreeing to let her run off on her own. "I didn't say you were staying behind," he clarified, pointing to the building right next door. "Just that you were with me."

"Oh," she said softly, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Check upstairs," he pointed to the wide planked staircase at the back of the room.

She hurried towards the stairs.

"Be careful," he warned, not caring how stupid it sounded. "And…holler if you need me."

"Okay," she nodded and ran up to the landing above.

Her booted footsteps sounded on the wooden floor above his head, acoustically mapping her position. He had half a mind to go up there with her—just in case—but gave in to the urgency of covering more ground. And she was directly above him. Easy access should she need his help.

Fifteen minutes later he gathered with his team back in the small house. The villagers had left very little behind. They'd only been able to collect two worn blankets, a half-dozen candles, some rags, a couple lengths of rope and a random scattering of dishes.

"Not much to work with" Evan frowned. "But it's better than nothing." He glanced at his watch. The tremor was about to hit them hard. He turned towards the south wall. "This wall's reinforced with the building next door. Get comfortable and cover your heads."

He dropped down against the wall, automatically lifting his arm when Jen slid in against him. He didn't want to read anything into the fact that she had very solidly hooked herself against his side. Nor was he going to analyze the way her arms snaked so tightly around his middle. She was just scared and was seeking comfort. The fact that she'd chosen him and not the others had nothing to do with anything.

A quick glare killed the amused look on Sanchez face. Browne and Ellis were smirking at something and Evan had a pretty good idea what. Damn. Now he was going to have to do some hasty rumour quashing when they returned to the city.

The Captain sat against the wall on Jennifer's other side and wedged himself against her. "Ready, Doc?"

"Absolutely not," she muttered.

"Pretend it's a fun-house?" Ellis suggested from the Captain's other side. "Be a great amusement park ride."

"Only _you_ would pay money to ride out an earthquake," Browne snorted.

"And only _you_ would be too chicken shit to join me," Ellis countered.

"Give me 20 and I'll make sure Zelenka assigns you personally next time he finds a half-baked weather machine," Evan offered, earning him a giggle from Jen.

Jen's smile faded as the telltale vibrations started.

"Here it comes," she whispered, her eyes wide.

Evan placed his hand on the top of her head and tucked her against his shoulder. She shuddered and burrowed against him, hiding her face.

Huddled together they rode out the tremors while the land shook itself apart.

.

* * *

.

The supplies were packed up except for one blanket, which Sanchez handed to Jen.

She was about to suggest a time-share on the blankets, but snapped her mouth shut when Evan's warm breath tickled a _don't even think about it _against her ear. She shivered, and it wasn't just from the crazy cold that was now permeating through her limbs.

"Fine," she scowled, hiding the warming tint in her cheeks. Knowing there was no way she was going to talk any of the macho-men out of using a blanket she held it up to check the full size. It was a lot longer than she was.

She lowered the woolen blanket and turned towards Evan, her palm outstretched. "Knife?"

Evan didn't hesitate, but Jen could see the curiosity in his eyes as he quickly extracted a long blade from his boot. He held it out hilt first.

She folded the musty blanket in half lengthwise, then used the blade to make a narrow slit in the center. She handed the blade back to Evan. Tugging at the edge of the cut hole she ripped the opening wider. Lifting it, she yanked it down over her head like a grey knitted poncho. Pulling her backpack on she adjusted the straps and pulled the material of the blanket out so it covered more of her arms.

Ellis snorted. "Very monk like, Doc."

"A _warm_ monk." Jen grinned tucking her hands into the front like a pouch, then pulling them out again.

"A midget monk," Sanchez pointed to the pool of material covering her feet.

"Come here, monk." Evan spun her around and dug into her knapsack. He pulled out one of the shorter lengths of rope and turned her back around to face him.

He dropped to his knees in front of her. With two quick motions he sliced two long slits down the front of the blanket. Placing his hands on her waist he spun her around and cut a single slit down the back. Reaching through, he grabbed the center strip of material and pulled it back, tucking it up between her legs and securing it with a short chunk of rope looped around her waist. She now had two long strips hanging beside each leg. Cutting two smaller lengths of rope Evan turned her back around, wrapped the dangling blanket strip tightly around each leg, then secured the covering in place with a twist of rope at each ankle.

Jen couldn't help but blush at the suggested intimacy as he knelt on the floor between her legs, the brush of his hands against the inside of her legs as he tied the rope, the way she had to grab his shoulder for support when he pulled them tightly. Not that she cared what the other three were thinking – but she refused to look at them just in case.

He stood up and eyed his handy work. The strips of blanket were now secured around her legs like snow pants.

"Thank you," she cleared her throat.

"_Now_ your warm," he nodded, his eyes meeting hers.

_Yes. Yes she was._

_._

_

* * *

_

_.  
_

Thirty minutes into the trek and Jen was finding it very difficult. Her breath made hot clouds that fanned her face as she followed the others through the thick clusters of trees and branches.

The scanner showed the power source was reasonably close to the village, but what it didn't show was the dense vegetation that stood between the village and their destination. Forging their own trail was time consuming and with each passing minute the temperature was still dropping.

The trees were thick, overgrown and tightly woven, making progress difficult. For the most part, the constant motion kept them all fairly warm, but the cold was starting to eat at all their extremities. Despite the added protection of the blanket, Jen found herself shivering the point where her fingers were vibrating violently beneath her armpits.

If they didn't find shelter soon, they'd all be dealing with the onset of hypothermia.

Ahead of them Sanchez broke out into an open space and stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Evan called out from his position at the back of the group.

"Wall," Sanchez replied.

Jen crawled out from beneath the low branches to where the Captain was standing facing a flat surface of weathered metal. Jen tipped her head back. The roof had to be at least two storeys above their heads. She couldn't see any trace of the edges of the building on either side either. The power center—or whatever it was—had to be huge.

Evan stepped into the narrow space. "Find a door."

Ellis moved left and Browne moved left, Sanchez and Evan to the right. Jen hesitated before falling in behind Evan and the captain. They scanned the dilapidated surface for any sign of an entrance.

"Sir," Ellis shouted a moment later.

The others turned and hurried through the narrow opening between the branches and the high wall. Ellis ripped at the ivy growing up along the wall, uncovering an arched inset. They cleared the growth from the edges, pulling and tugging until the entire entrance was clear.

"Now what?" Jen asked, looking around the edges for the access panel.

Evan pulled at the leafy vine to the right of the door, exposing the familiar shape of an ancient door sensor. The telltale blue light was muted behind the weathered buttons, but it was light. Light meant power. And power hopefully meant heat.

Ellis reached for Jen's arm and moved her several feet down, away from the door. She didn't protest. Peering out from behind his shoulder, she held her breath as Evan swiped his hand down across the access panel.

A faint beep sounded and the door slid silently open.

From her position down the wall Jen could see nothing but darkness beyond the opening. She half considered not going inside—Ancient structures and her track record weren't exactly known to be compliant. But the need to find warmth overrode her worry and she let Ellis lead her inside after the others.

She hoped it was the right decision.

.


	6. Chapter 6

The moment they stepped inside the building, the entire facility awoke. Lighting increased and panels sparked to life, glowing and blinking their welcome. Jen felt her tension easing the moment she could see the familiar muted colors of the marbled walls and decorative fixtures.

A quick exploration mapped the layout of the building. A half-dozen rooms converged on the main control center which was filled with various sized consoles. The keyboards and displays were all scripted in Ancient, and from what Jen could tell, each panel had power. Nothing appeared to be broken, and no warning bells or buzzers were sounding.

No alarms was _always _a good sign.

"So… now what?" she asked, circling the room.

"How's everyone's Ancient?" Evan posed, staring at one of the monitors near the wall.

"Fine," Jen replied.

"Passable," Sanchez answered.

"I can read," Ellis shrugged.

"Good for you," Browne smirked, patting him on the shoulder.

"_Ancient_," Ellis scowled. "I can read Ancient. Dumbass."

"Ancient for dumbasses?" Browne grinned, winking at Jen. "That must be new."

Jen bit her cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

"Everyone pick a console," Evan interrupted, moving to stand in front of one of the main floor units. "Look for any identifying marks. Something to give us an indication of what it is we're looking for—but for god's sake don't _touch_ anything."

"And just what are we looking _for_?" Jen asked, moving to one of the units on the far side.

"You'll know it when you see it," Evan replied. "I hope."

.

* * *

.

Jen straightened away from the monitor she'd been hunched in front of for the past thirty minutes. She rubbed at the kink forming in her neck. The others were each working at different consoles around the room, tension of their task evident in the fast typing and muttered curses when files lead to dead end after dead end.

Jen chewed her lower lip. She needed to share what she'd found out, but her voice was lost behind a growing fear—not fear for a miscalculation—but fear that she was right. But after checking and rechecking, she knew without a doubt that her initial discovery was correct.

_They were in very, very big trouble. _

Over the console to her right, Evan's eyes met hers. His expression shifted from wariness to worry. He didn't speak so neither did she. Jen felt the rise of the familiar butterfly in her stomach, momentarily distracting her from ball of tension in her lower abdomen. But panic at their situation quickly squashed the flighty feeling and she was left with the tangles of fear squeezing her chest.

Evan stepped out from behind his console. "Find something?"

Jen let out a tiny sigh and nodded.

"Bad news or really bad news?"

Jen opened her mouth, then closed it with a shrug and a shake of her head.

Evan placed his hand over hers and gave a quick squeeze. She clung to his warm fingers, praying for truth in his silent reassurance.

"We need Rodney," she admitted dejectedly.

"Wow," he laughed. "That bad, huh."

Jen wanted to smile but couldn't muster more than a small twitch.

Evan tilted his head closer to hers. "McKay may have two PhD's," he whispered, "But my money's on you. Not real money though," he winked. "You weren't on the initial assignment list so Zelenka didn't have time to update the board."

Jen tried to glare at him but she was pretty sure her smile was counteracting the ferocity she was attempting. She sighed. Here she was trying to muster the courage to tell him they were doomed, and he was taunting her with jokes. Damn the man.

"One of these days I'm going to tell Radek he owes me half the winnings since it's my misfortune he seems to double down on," she muttered.

"That's not a half-bad idea," Evan agreed. "You can propose that when we get back."

"_If_ we get back."

"_When_," he said firmly. "Now tell me what you've got."

Jen reluctantly released changed the display on the monitor above them. The menu items disappeared in place of a digitized image of the planet, the green island mass easily distinguishable from the white covering across the rest of the surface.

"The information in the database says that the island is protected by some kind of shielding. There are several entries talking about variations in calibration and how they modified the protective shielding they used for Atlantis to contain biometric energy. It might be why we didn't show any shielding, the sensors weren't set up to see it. I think the Ancients were working on keeping things in, instead of keeping things out."

"In?" Ellis questioned, walking over to join them.

Jen nodded. "If I understand correctly, the shield keeps the _weather_ in— "

"—and the freezer out," Sanchez finished, following Browne so the entire group was gathered around the console.

"Basically," Jen nodded gravely.

She switched her display to a closer look at the island, highlighting just the main landmass. The edges of the continent were marred with a wide, blinking red glow. She didn't need a degree to know that the red indicated trouble. And _trouble_ was completely surrounding the center of the island, including the village and their power station.

"The shield is collapsing," she pointed towards the red borders.

She lifted her shoulder and turned towards Evan, wishing she had more information. More of an explanation. But she didn't know the mechanics enough to be able to do more than just skim the surface of what the database contained. She wouldn't even know where to begin looking for the right information.

"I'm so sorry," she shook her head, fighting the knot of despair squeezing her chest. "I don't understand a lot of this. Rodney would have it all sorted in seconds."

"McKay," Sanchez scoffed. "You're _way_ more fun to have along for the ride, Doc."

"And so much prettier," Browne added.

"And you smell way better," Ellis chimed in with a dramatic sniff and a wistful smile. "Like vanilla."

This time Jen couldn't hold back her laugh at the preposterous turn of the conversation. Here she was trying to explain their icy future and they were commenting on the scent of her shampoo. "You guys are absolutely incorrigible."

"Love you too, Doc," Ellis winked.

Turning back to the console she changed the monitor display to show a highlighted floor plan. A single orange dot blinked happily in the bottom corner. "The one piece of good news I was able to find is that this facility is powered by a ZPM."

"You didn't say that with much enthusiasm, Doc," Ellis pointed out. "I thought ZMP's were still a big deal?"

"They are," Jen sighed, staring at the display. "Except there isn't enough power left in this one to keep the shield going. That's why it's failing. The ZPM is almost completely drained."

"How almost is almost?" Ellis asked.

Jen opened her mouth to answer but the words wouldn't come. She glanced down at her fingers, clenching her hands into fists so they wouldn't see her shake. "I ran the numbers a dozen times. Every answer is the same. It's empty." She lifted her head and turned to Evan. "We won't have enough time."

"How much time is left?" Evan edged closer.

"Three hours," she whispered. "We only have three hours before it collapses completely."

.

* * *

.

Wrapping her blanket around her shoulders, Jen slumped down the wall and tipped her head back. Dark, cool air surrounded her. Hoping to buy themselves a few more minutes of ZPM power they'd turned off both the ambient lighting and the heat to the facility. It was a hopeful attempt, but it would only give them minutes at best. The cold was already permeating the outer edges.

At least the Ancients had built an earthquake stable building. The last two tremors had shaken things up but hadn't made much of a dent in the facility. One lucky point, she supposed. At least if she was going to freeze to death she'd be able to do it without being painfully crushed under a crumbling building first.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Symbols and numbers danced across her eyelids.

All she wanted was five minutes away from the monitor. Five minutes to let her subconscious sort through the pieces. She'd seen so many elements – shield designs, specifications, planetary information, engineering schematics. Some of it made sense but most of it was beyond her understanding. She knew there was something there. The Ancients never designed anything without some kind of fail-safe. But where to look? If she could just get her mind to see past the unnecessary information…

Unfortunately her mind didn't seem to want to work on the island puzzle so much as the Evan puzzle. Every time she tried to sway her thoughts back to the planet and it's Ancient shielding, she found herself circling back around to the man in the main room. They'd been working together for almost two years. It had always been just business between them. Friendly, sure. Flirty, well…lately anyway. But business. Definitely just business.

So if it was so business, why was it she couldn't stop thinking about those icy blue eyes?

Jen groaned and dropped her chin to her knees. They had less than an hour before the ZPM ran dry and the shield collapsed completely, and here she was lamenting about her non-existent love life.

_Get with the program, Keller._

Something brushed against the back of her hand. She snapped her head up. "Shit," she cursed, clamping her fingers against the base of her throat.

Evan squatted in front of her. "Sorry," he grinned.

Despite the adrenaline surge, she found herself smiling back. "No you're not."

"You're right," he shrugged. He straightened and held out his hand.

Jen grabbed for his fingers and pulled herself up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wander off, I just…" she trailed off.

_Damn blue eyes._

He frowned slightly, shifting his hands to cover hers more fully. "You're hands are freezing."

Jen glanced down at their entwined fingers. "Better my hands than the rest of me."

"Hey," he chastised, giving her hands a squeeze. "Don't be going all McKay on me. We're not out of this yet."

"Evan…" Jen shook her head, distracted by the warmth of his hands around hers, distracted by the location, distracted by the situation. Her emotions were bouncing up and down like children on a teeter-totter.

"No, Jen. No doom and gloom, okay? We're not giving up and we're not letting this go." He leaned closer. "Now where's that fighting spirit I know and love, hmm?"

Jen took a deep breath.

"Sir?" Sanchez interrupted, leaning in through the open doorway. He hesitated only a second before disappearing again.

Jen was pretty sure the Captain had been smiling.

Feeling very much like she'd just been caught in the closet by a teacher, she stepped back and tried to extract her fingers from Evan's firm grip. Evan didn't let go. Instead he matched her backwards steps with forward ones until she was stopped by the cool wall at her back.

He stood directly in front of her, closer than necessary. Or perhaps it wasn't close enough.

"Jen, I need you to promise me something."

She hesitated. He looked so serious—more serious that she'd ever seen him. It wasn't attack mode serious…it was just…emotionally serious.

Her voice wouldn't cooperate so she nodded her head.

"No matter what happens, I want you to trust me. I'm going to get us out of this."

She wanted to believe him. Desperately. "Evan—"

"No, Jen. I mean it. _This_…this is not the end. Not so long as we can breathe, think, and read Ancient. Okay?"

"But—"

"No arguments. Now…you…" he tugged at her fingers and pulled her away from the wall. "Need to stop hiding and put that super-brain of yours into action and help Sanchez with some translations."

"Translations?"

He swung her around to face the open doorway.

She dug in her heels, pulling him to a stop. He turned towards her.

"Evan….for…for what it's worth," she bit the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath, willing herself to have even a tiny drop of his positivity. "I do."

"You do?" He raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Do what?"

Jen started to laugh. "Trust you. I do. Trust you."

"Oh," he grinned, backing towards the main room. "Well good."

"Ev?"

"Jen."

"I wasn't hiding."

"I know," he laughed and hooked her arm, pulling her into the other room with him. "You were doing that crazy thinking thing you do when you're trying to find the right solution."

"_Crazy thinking thing_?" she giggled.

He winked. "I'm sure there's a proper term for it in there somewhere. You can point it out to me when we get back. In the mean time quit stalling. I know you want to keep me to yourself and all, but Sanchez may have found us a way out of here."

Jen blinked. Digested his statement, warmed over the thought of having him all to herself, then skipped right to Sanchez finding them an escape option.

"Evan!" She whacked him across the shoulder as she hurried past him. "Why didn't you say that sooner!"

His laughter followed her into the next room where she made a beeline for the captain and his possible way out.

_Damn distracting blue eyes._

_.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Jen switched screens on the monitor, made a calculation on her notepad, switched back, added the numbers, switched a third time and double checked her math. If she was right… the guys may actually have a chance. And if she was right… there was no way in hell she could cover the distance. She stared at the total at the bottom of the page.

14.6 minutes.

Time enough for them. Time enough for him. But not time enough for her.

She briefly wondered why she wasn't more upset. Why she wasn't feeling the urge to freak out. Scream about the unfairness of life. Curse the end coming too soon. But all she could muster was a tiny spark of regret over all the things she still wanted to do...and who she wanted to do it with. Saving lives was what she did. So, she supposed, when it all came down to it, dying to save lives was about as worthwhile as she was ever going to get. Maybe if she had time to digest it, lament over it, regret it she could maybe muster up the helplessness that should be overwhelming her… but she didn't have time. Not if she wanted to get them home safe.

Get _him_ home safe.

She turned to face the others. "It's definitely an escape plan."

Sanchez grinned. "I thought so."

"So what do we need to do?" Evan asked.

Jen glanced down at the number she'd circled a dozen times with her pen. "The Ancients built in two options."

Sanchez shifted his weight. "What's the first?"

"Run," she said simply.

"Run?" Ellis raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways around the room. "Run where?"

"To the gate." Jen turned to face the monitor, switching the screen back to an overview of the island landmass. "The Ancients must have calculated this as a possible option and built in some kind of fail safe should they ever get stuck in this kind of situation. After the next earthquake the shield will have collapsed completely. But the Ancients set the ZPM to keep enough reserve power for a one-shot deal." She shifted her fingers across the controls, changing the monitor to reveal a narrow green band running across the island. "We're here," she pointed to the bottom of the band, then slid her finger towards the top of the green strip. "The gate is here. Once the shield finally collapses we can shift it to create a tunnel to reach the gate. If Rodney were here I'm sure he could figure out how to do it sooner, but all I can do is follow the instructions for setting it up once the ZPM stops supporting the shield."

"So how much time will we have?"

"We have exactly 14.6 minutes."

Ellis whistled. "They didn't leave themselves much time."

Jen shook her head. "Originally it should have been more… but I think the shield is collapsing faster than they calculated. At least that's what it looks like. The database says they allotted thirty minutes…" she nibbled the inside of her cheek. "There's only enough power left for half that."

"Fourteen minutes," Evan repeated, staring directly at her.

Jen didn't need to be psychic to know he was running the numbers in his head. The distance. The terrain.

"Fourteen minutes," she repeated softly when his expression betrayed his realization.

She couldn't run that fast.

Oh sure it was a distance she could easily cover if it was a hard packed path. But it wasn't a smooth, straight surface. No, it was a trampled forest with logs and trees and giant footprints.

It wasn't that she wasn't healthy. Wasn't in good shape. Wasn't a good runner.

It would be physically and scientifically impossible for her to match their speed through the wooded obstacle course. She would be – at best if she were a marathon runner – ten percent slower. Given her size and stature she'd be lucky if she wasn't twenty percent off their time.

It was not enough.

"No." Evan barked, ignoring the surprised looks from his team. "What's the second option."

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head. "It won't work."

"What's the second option," he repeated, taking a step closer.

"It won't work."

"Let me be the judge of what will and won't work, Doc," he frowned.

Jen sighed. She should have known he was going to be stubborn. "Waiting," she finally answered. "If we don't power the shield to make a run for the gate, we have enough power to heat the building for about half an hour. But it's not going to—"

"We'll wait," Evan interrupted, his tone curt and clipped.

She opened her mouth to try again and he immediately raised an eyebrow in silent challenge. She cursed his stubbornness.

Ellis cleared his throat. "Wait?" He glanced slowly from Jen to his CO and back again. "We can do that?"

Ignoring the angry glare Evan was still sending her way, Jen concentrated on the others, accepting Ellis' opening for further explanation. "Option B _was_ waiting for rescue….but making a run for the gate is the only option."

"Doc…" Evan warned.

"Is thirty minutes enough?" Sanchez leaned closer.

Jen shrugged. "It could be. There are a lot of variables. The temperature outside, the size of the building. As near as I can calculate based on how quickly the temperature dropped when we cut the non-essential rooms, we'd have twenty, thirty minutes tops after the power dies. But it won't be enough."

"Don't even think about it," Evan warned.

Jen shook her head. "You don't understand—"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll wait," he barked.

The group fell into an uneasy silence at his loud command. He cleared his throat and repeated the statement at a lower volume. His glare gave Jen the impression he wasn't willing to entertain any other options.

It was a challenge she had to accept.

If she was going to save his life.

She turned towards him, dropping her hands to her hips. Taking a deep breath she tipped her chin up and stared him down. _Damn stubborn man._ "There is enough power to push the shields back for fourteen point six minutes, or keep the temperatures in here above freezing for thirty minutes. We can _not_ do both. You'll have to run to the gate."

"_You'll_ have to run?" Browne turned towards Jen.

She cursed her slip.

"I said no," Evan crowded closer.

Jen refused to be bulled. She put her hands on her hips. "You're being an ass."

"I'm being an ass?" he raised both eyebrows, incredulous. "This isn't a martyrdom, Jennifer. And this isn't open for discussion."

Exasperated, she flipped her hands to the side. "If you'd let me finish—"

"I know where you're going with this, and the answer is still…and will always be… no fucking way. " He shook his head once, then shifted his no-nonsense attitude towards his men. "We'll have an hour until check-in after the shield collapses. We'll hunker down and wait for Atlantis to contact us."

Jen exhaled an exasperated sigh. Scrambling to figure out how to get the stubborn idiot to listen, she turned her back on him. She clenched her fists and released them quickly, fighting to curtail her now rabid emotions so she didn't smash the keys on the console in front of her.

Well if he wanted to do this the long way…

Methodically selecting each key she navigated through the menus until she found the summary screen she knew he couldn't argue with. But instead of asking Evan for confirmation, she turned towards Lieutenant Browne who was standing directly to her right. She pointed to the screen. "Does this say what I think it says?"

Browne leaned closer, studying the Ancient text.

Jen refused to acknowledge Evan, who'd moved to stand on her other side. She bit her lower lip and waited for Browne to come to tell the others what Evan was apparently unwilling to believe from her.

Browne straightened. "When the shield collapses we'll be exposed to the planet's sub-zero temperatures."

"After that…" she prompted, chancing a sideways glance at Evan. He was still glaring at her and not looking at the screen.

"The building has it's own built in shield to keep us from being crushed when the planetary one collapses," he continued, frowning. "Guess that's how we were able to ride out the tremors without having the roof fall in."

"No, here." Exasperated, Jen jabbed her finger at a section of text near the bottom corner.

Browne leaned closer, paused, then cursed. "The shield blocks all foreign communications."

Jen gave his statement a moment to sink in before glancing over her shoulder at Evan. He was studying the screen. She knew the moment he'd understood why they couldn't wait because his shoulders dropped and his eyes met hers.

"We can't wait," she repeated softly. "You all know the drill. If we miss check-in they'll try to establish radio contact first. Our radios. We aren't carrying the long-range Ancient ones Rodney modified. When we don't respond they'll scramble a team and send them through…on foot."

"They'll freeze to death the moment they step across the event horizon," Sanchez nodded gravely.

"Instantly," Jen snapped her fingers. "We don't have any way of warning them. By the time they figure it out and send a jumper…"

"It'll be too late," Browne finished. "For us… and them." He paused then scowled at the screen. "Well that's one hell of a stupid escape plan!"

"Dumbass Ancients," Ellis muttered.

.

* * *

.

Heavy emotions hit her with a whollop.

The four men had been encircled in a private, low voiced conversation that had involved many sideways glances in her direction. She didn't need a translator to know Evan had been explaining the problem with running to the gate. Or rather _her_ problem with running to the gate. She'd been studying them—_him_—for a good five minutes before her introspection had smacked her with the truth so hard she'd had to physically sit down before her legs gave out.

She was in love with the man.

Confusion took over and she sank to the ground against the wall in the far corner. She'd tried to retrace her steps, figure out when exactly "_it_" had happened, but she couldn't get past the luck of the damned that she'd come to the realization an hour before she was likely to die.

A warm hand on her shoulder broke her out of her self-reflected depression.

Evan squatted in front of her. "Hey," he said softly, his expression apologetic. "Look, about before…"

"I know," she interrupted his apology. She smiled, trying to commit the colour of his eyes to memory. Even if it would be only for a while she'd at least have something to think about for the final hour. "Is it time?"

"Almost," he shrugged. "But that's not…I mean…" he hesitated. "Look. Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?"

Jen glanced over his shoulder to the trio standing across the room who were all pretending they weren't paying attention to her and the Major. "Um… sure… yes… of course." She scrambled to her feet.

Evan lead her towards one of the smaller rooms near the back of the facility. He left the door open so the ambient light from the main room would give them some visibility.

"Look," he began. "I have no way of saying this without it sounding…wrong so I'm just going to say it."

Jen wasn't sure how to respond so she said nothing.

He opened his mouth, closed it, looked at the ceiling, then turned his attention back to her. Even in the recessed lighting she didn't miss the hurt and anger in his eyes. "I can't believe you'd think so little of me that I'd agree to any plan that would leave you behind," he scowled.

Jen winced. Okay so yes she had been planning to get him to leave her behind… but it wasn't out of spite… it was everything—anything—but. "Think so little…no…Evan…I didn't…don't…I mean…that's not what I thought."

His silence made her extremely uncomfortable. She bit her lip and struggled to find the right words to explain that she hadn't intended to insult him... It was just that she would never willingly let _anything_ happen to anyone she loved and cared about… not if she'd been any position to stop it or prevent it. It was just who she was and if he didn't like it then he could just—

Evan cleared his throat. "So, you _weren't_ thinking that we were going to make a run for it and leave you here to freeze to death?"

Jen blinked. _Had she said it?_ She was pretty sure she hadn't worded it quite that way. "Well… y—no… of course not. I mean…"

He raised an eyebrow.

Jen felt her cheeks burning. "Okay look, I… what I mean to say is… It's not… Not what you think…"

"So you didn't say that '_you'll_' have to run to the gate… not '_we'll_' run for it?"

"I…well yes I did say that, but—"

"Why?"

Jen rubbed her temple. A dozen answers batted back and forth through her mind. Okay sure in hindsight everything sounded self-serving and lame…and she could certainly see why he'd be miffed at her verbal slip...but she couldn't just let him die because he was foolish enough to try to get her to run a distance she couldn't physically cover. _Right?_

"Wrong," he answered.

Jen closed her eyes. She hated when her inside voice decided to be an outside voice. "I'm sorry…" she exhaled quietly. She opened her eyes. He'd moved even closer.

"This doesn't end here, Jen."

Her stomach flipped and settled back down as she briefly wondered _what_ didn't end here. "I…it…it doesn't?" She stumbled over her words.

"We are going to have a little talk when we get back to the city…you and I."

"We…are?"

He nodded. Once. "We are."

"Uh…ummm…okay. Why?"

"Why?" He repeated with a laugh, which surprised her given the situation. To her complete and utter astonishment, he leaned down and placed a quick kiss against her cheek. "Because we need to work on your inside voice."

"We do?" she blinked furiously, ignoring the dancing butterfly in her stomach.

His smile faded. The tummy butterfly turned to stone and dropped with a whump into the pit of her stomach. He leaned closer, dropping his voice to an almost whisper. "For being the galaxies smartest medical professional, you certainly have some moments of incredible idiocy, Doctor Jennifer Keller. Don't you _ever_ consider settling for any option, plan, or idea that requires you to sacrifice yourself in any way, shape or form ever again because if you do I swear I will throttle you myself. Do I make myself clear?"

Jen found herself nodding before she digested the full meaning behind his words. "Wait… Did you just call me stupid?"

"Yes. Yes, I did." He shrugged then half smiled. "I warned you I was going to be blunt."

"Right."

A sharp, tinging beep chimed. Evan glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes until the shield fully collapses."

Jen inhaled sharply. _Ten minutes!_

"No," he held up his index finger, letting it hover almost directly in front of her nose. "Don't say it. Don't think it. Don't even attempt to think it. It's not an option and never will be so drop it."

"Evan…"

"We are not going to go there," he shook his head firmly. He hooked his arm through hers and swirled her towards the doorway. "Now, you said the Ancients left us with two options."

"I did? Oh yes. I did. I mean they did. Two options."

"See now that's where you're wrong. There's _always_ a third option."

"There…there is?"

"Plan C."

She bobbed her head, then shook it. "No, wait. I thought we were always supposed to throw out plan C? Sheppard's rule or something like that?"

"Actually it's McKay's Law of Bad Planning." Evan stopped just before the doorway. "Since plan C never works, save yourself the hassle and move straight to Plan D."

"Plan D…" she hesitated, trying to squash the glimmer of excitement. Ten minutes wasn't much time to execute any kind of appropriate solution. But this was Pegasus…and sometimes her bad luck _did_ work in her favour. She took a deep breath. "You have a Plan D?"

"I _always_ have a Plan D. Now quit stalling," he winked. "You can have me all to yourself once I get our asses out of here."

.


	8. Chapter 8

"_That_ is your genius plan? You're going to _shorten_ the time to run to the gate? What kind of crazy solution is that?"

Jen stared wide-eyed at the foursome in front of her. She'd expected a little bit of crazy in the plan… this was Pegasus after all. Pretty much everything in this galaxy required a touch of crazy. But this? This was completely idiotic.

"I mean seriously! What is this… plan D for Dumbass?" she asked, gaping at the gathered men.

"Hey," Ellis exclaimed.

Ignoring the lieutenant, Jen narrowed her gaze and glared at Evan. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Evan rolled his eyes. "It's a perfectly valid plan."

"Valid?" Jen dropped her hands to her hips. "It's not valid. It's sheer lunacy."

"Come on, Doc," Browne winked at her. "Wouldn't be as much fun if it was easy."

"Right. Just like it's going to be _easy_ for me to have you all locked up for psych evaluations when we get back," she huffed.

"Aha," Ellis smiled. "So you admit you agree we'll get back?"

"I…what? No! You just...you…okay, no. " She frowned, and stepped closer to Evan. She couldn't believe they actually considered this as a viable option. She couldn't believe _he_ actually considered this a viable option. "Ten minutes is not enough time to run there, dial the DHD and get through the gate before you turn into a freezy pop."

"Freezy pop?" Evan's eyebrow shot up.

"You know what I mean," she grumped.

"It's plenty of time. Technically we can cover the distance in just over seven minutes, but adding another for terrain issues, dialing the DHD…" he shrugged. "Ten should be just about right."

"Just about right," she repeated. She rubbed her temple. _Of all the lame, idiotic, stupid ideas._ Now they wanted to give themselves even _less_ time? She could tell by the expressions on their faces that they'd already all decided this was what they were going to do. There would be no changing their minds. "I suppose I'm the only one who sees the potential flaws with this?"

"Pretty much," Sanchez nodded.

"Yup," Ellis agreed.

She turned back to Evan, who was fighting a smirk and failing badly. Of course this had probably been his idea to begin with. The man had the same death-wish-planning gene Colonel Sheppard carried.

Stupid Majors and their stupid plans.

She pointed over her shoulder towards the Ancient console. "And you're sure you can make it do that?"

Jen was pretty confident they already had confirmed it, but a tiny flicker of hope wondered if maybe they hadn't checked and the plan wouldn't work.

Browne reached behind her and pushed a selection of keys. A split screen appeared. Jen studied the two solutions. _Damn_. According to the system they really would be able to divide what remained of the ZPMs power between both options; make a run for the gate and heat the inside of the building. The system would send the power equally to the shields, and the building.

"We couldn't figure out how to adjust it either way," Browne noted. "Ten minutes a side was all we could get it to accept."

Jen stared at the blinking numbers. If it worked… and it was a big if…they would reach the city about the same time as the heat in the building finally shut off. Give them five minutes to get a jumper back through the gate, another few minutes to figure out a landing spot, she should have about ten minutes after the heat died before they could return. Would the Ancient structure have enough insulation to keep the freezing temperatures at bay? How much insulation would it take? How did you deal with hypothermia when it was nearly instant?

But most importantly, even if they did return in a jumper, _how would she get out of the building and into the ship if the air outside air could freeze her solid in a matter of seconds?_

Evan leaned over her shoulder, his breath soft against her ear. "Didn't we just have a talk about this solo act of yours?"

Jen flushed, cursing her inside voice once again. Then her face warmed further to remember his promise about a future discussion once they returned to the city.

He moved in front of her, drawing her full attention. "Browne and I are going to the gate," he said firmly. "Sanchez and Ellis are staying with you. And don't even think about arguing."

"What if _I_ want to argue?" Sanchez mumbled, frowning at Browne.

"There's nothing to argue about, " Browne smirked at the captain. "You run like a girl." The Lieutenant then winked at Jen. "No offence, Doc."

"None…taken? I…think." She shook her head quickly and shifted her attention to the two pairings. "Okay so why are you… _we_… splitting up?"

"It doesn't take four of us to dial the DHD, Doc," Browne commented.

"And someone's got to stay here and keep you warm once the power goes out," Ellis smirked.

"Oh. I suppose that someone is you?" Jen blinked up at the Lieutenant who'd moved to stand at her side.

"And me," Sanchez added.

"Drew the short straws?" Jen looked from one to the other.

Ellis rolled his eyes at Browne. "Pfft. Any idiot can go for a run." He dropped his arm around Jen's shoulder and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Now keeping warm with a sexy doctor," he whispered in her ear. "…that takes skill."

Jen tipped her head back and stared up at the Lieutenant. "Does that really work for you?"

"You tell me." Ellis wiggled his eyebrows. "Did it work?"

Evan cleared his throat.

"Apparently not." Ellis dropped his arm and released her.

Evan glanced at his watch then turned to Browne. "We have about two minutes until the shield fully collapses. Lose the extras."

Jen stiffened. Two minutes.

Time had run out.

Sentiments, emotions, questions all bounced through her head as she watched the two men get ready for a potentially suicidal run through a frozen winter-land. She thought of a dozen things she wanted to say… should say… but in her mind the statements were hollow and empty. A lame response to someone who was about to risk everything.

Evan unclipped his P90 and handed it to Ellis. He tugged at the Velcro straps securing his vest and pulled off the protective gear, dropping it onto the floor near the console.

Browne repeated the motions and added his gear to the pile.

"Clock starts as soon as the tremor stops," Evan said to Browne. He angled his chin towards the console controlling the shields. "We'll need to know exactly when we're good to go."

"You got it," Sanchez nodded, stepping towards the control panel. "Thirty seconds until the shield collapses," he called out.

Jen followed Evan towards the far side of the control room. He stopped next to the door leading outside.

"Twenty five…" Sanchez continued.

"Evan," she began, then couldn't find the appropriate words to finish.

He shook his head and half-grinned, but the smile faded quickly. "Jen."

"Twenty," Sanchez called out.

Jen bit her lip. _Don't lose it. Don't lose it. _"You owe me a conversation," she exhaled.

"And we'll have it," he nodded. "Promise."

"Fifteen," came the call.

"Ellis, close this door as soon as we're through. Sanchez, keep an eye on that shield power." Evan ordered.

"Roger that," Ellis answered, walking over to stand next to the door control.

"Ten seconds," Sanchez called out. "Tremor's about to hit."

Evan herded Jen away from the door as the Captain counted down from ten. "Well be back in twenty minutes. Stay warm, and stay away from the outside walls."

Jen nodded, hunching her shoulders as Sanchez reached _zero_.

A rumbling crunch reverberated across the roof. Without hesitation she reached for Evan. He slid his arms around her waist and leaned against a corner console, supporting them both. Jen wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. The building could very well collapse on their heads, yet the only thing she seemed able to focus on was how much warmer Evan felt without his vest in the way.

The vibrations ended abruptly in a loud crashing bang that shuddered through the entire building.

"Shield has fully collapsed," Sanchez said, his voice easily filling the silence. "ZPM is shifting power… _now_."

Jen took a deep breath and quickly pushed herself away from Evan. A bright light flooded the room, making her squint. She covered her eyes and turned towards the now open doorway. Frigid air flowed into the room, breaking her skin into goosebumps.

"Out ya' go," Ellis waved towards the outside. "We don't have enough power to heat the planet."

Evan glanced at Browne. "You heard the man."

The Lieutenant grinned. "Sorry boys, but I gotta fly." He shook his head and dashed out the doorway.

Evan took a quick step towards the door, hesitated, then turned back to Jen.

He placed his hands on her cheeks, pulled her forward, and kissed her.

Too shocked to breathe, Jen found herself completely frozen. She barely had time to register the fact that Evan Lorne was kissing her in the middle of some near-death experience and in front of his team before he pulled away.

He released her with a wink.

"For luck," he grinned, then he turned and sprinted out the open door.

.


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: sorry for the lengthy time between chapters! :) When we left the story... Evan and Browne are on the run to the gate, and Jen, Ellis and Sanchez have been left behind to wait out the final minutes of power on the ZPM... and now... Chapter 9! ~Nika_**

* * *

.

Five minutes and counting.

The numbers on the digital clock taunted Jen with their merry blinking. Each little flicker and flash counted down to the end. But it was the end of _what_ that left her feeling breathless and unable to think coherently.

She propped her elbow onto the console and dropped her chin to her hands, her fingers tracing lightly across her lower lip.

He'd kissed her. Evan Lorne had actually kissed her. And not just a friendly 'miss you' peck on the cheek, either. Even though it had been hurried, Evan had given her a fast, hot, tingle-her-toes kind of kiss right before disappearing into the freezing air.

_For luck_, he'd said.

She sighed heavily.

If it was her luck he needed to save them then they were completely screwed.

"Here Doc, put this on."

Jen turned away from the hypnotizing glow of the clock. Sanchez was holding out one of the Tac-vest's Evan and Browne had left behind.

"It's heavy," he offered in explanation. "It'll help keep you warm."

"Oh," she blinked. "Right. Yes of course." She should have considered that. She held out her hands but the captain shook his head.

"Under the jacket," he said with a half smile.

Jen shrugged out of Evan's jacket, then pulled off her own.

The captain helped her adjust the too-large vest as tight as they would go. Once satisfied, he helped her first into her own jacket, then Evan's. Having the vest and the double layers was bulky, but it would definitely help keep her core warmer when the heat went out.

"Okay everything's turned off," Ellis said, walking away from a console across the room. Around them all the monitors and control panels were dark save for one. He crossed to where Jen and Sanchez were standing. "The only thing left is the lights."

"Turn them off too," Jen shrugged. "The monitor should provide enough ambient light."

Ellis bent to retrieve one of the rucksacks from behind the control console. "We'll have plenty of light," he smirked, fishing out the half-used candles they'd acquired from the village. He held them up, then grinned at Jen. "You forgot we had these, didn't you?"

Jen rolled her eyes. She _had_ forgotten about the candles. "No," she lied. "I just…"

"Misplaced the memory?" Sanchez suggested.

"I had better things to worry about," Jen countered.

Ellis lit the candles and set them on the floor a few feet away. "Kill the lights?" he asked Sanchez.

The Captain stepped towards one of the wall units. "Couldn't hurt." With a press of a finger he shut down the overhead lights. Now their only source of illumination was the muted orange numbers counting down to zero and the flickering glow of the wax stumps.

A soft sounding triple beep announced the final seconds of the life of the ZPM.

The trio watched in silence as the numbers went from three… to two… to one. They flashed zero, blinked once, then disappeared without a sound. The monitor faded then cut off with a quiet fizzle.

They were completely out of power.

Jen exhaled slowly, turning towards the light from the candles. Somehow the darkness made everything seem so much more… deadly.

"Now what?" Ellis asked.

"We wait," Sanchez replied.

Jen bit her lip. "I hate waiting."

"Same," Sanchez agreed.

A faint crackling noise snapped and popped, tap dancing across the ceiling high above. It reminded her of squirrels skittering across the roof of her dad's cottage. She tipped her chin and tried to see past the shadows above.

Twin globes of light circled the arched roof as Sanchez and Ellis both traced their flashlights across the ceiling. In the corner closest the door, a tiny sliver of sparkling white appeared along a seam in the roof. It cracked, popping like an ice cube dropped into a warm drink.

"The roof is freezing," Jen exhaled the obvious. The icy cold had sealed the walls outside. They were now good and truly trapped.

"Damn," Ellis exclaimed. "Here's hoping the Ancients built this thing to keep out the snow."

"It's a hundred degrees below zero out there," Sanchez noted, following his flashlight around the circumference of the main room. "That's a little more than snow."

"Snow…. Frigid space air…" Ellis retorted, giving Jen a wink. "Tomato, to-mah-toe." He stepped towards one of the doorways leading to one of the side rooms.

"I think the bigger question is if an abandoned 10,000 year old structure is strong enough to hold," Jen mused, following along behind him.

"Atlantis did just fine under the ocean for that long," he reminded her.

"I guess," Jen grudgingly agreed. "But it had a shield."

Ellis stopped in the doorway and let out a low whistle. "The outside wall is completely frozen."

Jen peered around him into the smaller room. Sure enough, the back wall looked as though it were covered in a diamond frosting. The beams of his flashlight sparkled off the reflective surface making it shine like thousands of tiny mirror-balls, adding a fairy princess ambiance to the entire room. Jen almost smiled. So typically Pegasus; beautiful yet deadly.

Sanchez pulled her back away from the door.

"Seal all the other rooms," he ordered Ellis. "We'll need to keep to the center. Hopefully the floor stays warm long enough or we'll be sitting on the control panels like a bunch of frosty parrots." He stepped cautiously towards the main door. "I wish we had a buffer between us and that door," he mused aloud.

Ellis sealed the side rooms then returned to where they were standing, staring at the icy edges of the main door. "How long you figure we have?"

Jen shifted her head side to side. "No idea. I'm sure Rodney would have an answer down to the decimal point, but the best I can do is tell you that the temperature outside the shield is close to a hundred degrees below zero."

"Right," Ellis nodded. "That's cold."

Jen took a hurried step back when the frost that edged the crack of the door suddenly expanded with a crackling hiss. It spread several inches across the door itself, then stopped. The entire archway and a thick border around the frame of the door was now completely white. It looked as though someone had half-finished a paint-job.

Overhead, another flurry of tapping and crackling ran the length of the roof. Jen winced and hunched her shoulders. Flashlight beams revealed the new addition of white tipped edging around the corners of the outside wall above the main entrance.

Cold air tickled across her cheek. "Oh, that _so_ can't be good," she exhaled. Her breath floated before her for a brief moment before dissipating.

Sanchez shook his head. "I don't like how fast that's freezing."

Jen wrapped her arms around her torso, fighting the urge to shiver. She knew she didn't need to voice it aloud but she couldn't stop herself. "Temperature's dropping way too fast."

The two men turned towards her, their expressions hidden in the shadows. Sanchez pushed his sleeve back and glanced at his watch. "It's been three minutes."

"They should be on their way to the jumper bay by now," Ellis surmised. "We've got seven…or what? Maybe ten minutes before they're back?"

Sanchez nodded. "Plus time to execute whatever the rescue plan is."

Jen reached for Ellis' wrist and guided the Lieutenants arm up so the beam of the flashlight was pointing at the ceiling. The frost was infiltrating all the seams exposed along outside walls. Staccato ticks and crackles accompanied the march of the ice. "We may not have that much time."

The trio made a quick circuit of the facility, checking the other rooms. Their search confirmed their unvoiced fear—all of the outside walls were completely frozen and the ice was now making it's way quickly towards the middle. Across all the surfaces…

…including the floor.

Sanchez exhaled a curse in a frosted breath.

Jen twisted her fingers into the long sleeve of Evan's jacket to protect them from the frigid air. She rubbed a sharp pain in her forehead with the back of her arm. Her sinuses were protesting the fast dropping temperature.

"Not good," she sniffed, bouncing on her heels next to the small circle of candles on the floor.

"Definitely not good," Sanchez agreed.

Jen stared at the small flickers of light and tried to pretend she was standing next to a roaring campfire. But the cold burn against her exposed face and neck was making it difficult to imagine anything but the frozen deer next to the DHD.

"What happens when the building freezes?" Ellis questioned, standing shoulder to shoulder with Jen.

She shook her head slowly. "We freeze."

He nodded. "Like the deer."

Jen rubbed her arms. "I don't know if we'll be that lucky."

"Lucky?" Sanchez squatted and dug into one of the rucksacks. He stood and dropped the spare blanket he'd retrieved across Jen's shoulders.

She tucked it tightly around herself without argument. It was too cold to fight. "The deer froze instantly," she clarified. "We're slightly protected so our… we… well we won't be that lucky. It will be fast… but…not fast enough..."

"Not fast enough for what?" Sanchez withdrew his knife and tore the second blanket—the one she'd doctored up as a poncho—into smaller pieces.

"Not fast enough to be painless," Jen answered, unsure of how to describe the agony patients suffered through due to extreme exposure. She could only imagine how much the true wrath of a hundred degrees was going to burn. "At least we won't have to suffer long," she admitted aloud.

The captain's knife stopped half way through a slice. He lifted his gaze, locking on Jen. She willed herself to explain, but couldn't find the words. He blinked once then nodded and returned to tearing up the blanket into squares. He handed sever chunks of cloth to Ellis.

"Head, throat and hands," he ordered. "Cover as much of your face as you can."

Ellis folded one large square into a triangle then tied it around his head like a bandana. He grabbed a smaller chunk and stepped behind Jen. She started to laugh when he quickly fixed her an equally tied head covering, but the cold air burned her lungs and she coughed instead.

"Easy, Doc," he cautioned.

Between the three of them they managed to fashion roughly twisted sets of mittens and awkwardly stripped scarves.

It helped.

A little.

But would it be enough?

With the ice now creeping across the floor, they held a moment of silence, each lost in thought as they stared at the flickering flames at their feet. It was getting harder to breathe. Condensation from their breath was freezing against the cloth strips covering their chins. She wriggled her toes and flexed her fingers, willing the blood to keep circulating, but the shakes were already starting. She didn't know how cold it was temperature wise, but if it kept dropping as fast as it was they were going to freeze on their feet before any help could arrive.

Despite the rapid thrumming of her heart, Jen kept her breaths short and steady, afraid to fill her lungs with the frigid air.

They were almost out of time.

As though confirming her fear, one of the small candles flared brightly before dying with a last gasp of white smoke.

"Should be in the air now," Ellis noted, poking the dead wax stump with the toe of his boot.

"If he made it," Jen whispered a second candle lost its life. "They…" she hastily corrected. "They made it."

"He made it," Sanchez replied.

Even with his voice muffled behind a swatch of tattered blanket, Jen could hear firm conviction in his tone. She wished she could muster even a tiny bit of his confidence, but all she could find was worry on top of worry on top of fear. She buried her face further into the musty cloth and clamped her teeth together to stop them from chattering.

The captain leaned closer, rubbing his shoulder against hers. "You know he would have stayed if he could have, Doc," he said softly. "But he didn't have a choice. He had to be one of the ones to go."

"He w-would?" she blinked, twisting her neck to look up at him. "He did?"

His shoulder lifted then dropped. "Anyone of us could have easily made that run."

"And probably faster," Ellis snorted.

"Keep dreamin," Sanchez smirked. "A tree sloth runs faster than you."

"Wait," Jen interrupted. "Then why?"

"He's second in command," Sanchez noted.

Jen shook her head as a shiver ran violently down her spine. "What does that have t-to do with how f-fast he can run?"

Ellis started to laugh, but his mirth quickly turned into a gasping cough. He waved his hand to ward her off when she reached for him. He muffled the coughing beneath the collar of his jacket. After a few slow breaths he wiggled his wrapped hand between himself and Sanchez. "If we come through the gate… " he wheezed, "there would be questions."

"We'd have to wait for authorization," Sanchez confirmed.

"Explanations," Ellis coughed, then added. "To the Colonel or Woolsey."

Realization and understanding had Jen nodding her head. _Of course._ Evan was second in command. His orders to release a Jumper wouldn't be questioned by the gateroom staff. Evan could fill Colonel Sheppard in on the run. The same with Woolsey. He wouldn't need to be held up by explanations and requests. But the others…

"Oh," she whispered. "S-s-so…"

Sanchez wrapped his arms around his torso and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "He tried to think of other options."

"There weren't any," Ellis finished, then started coughing again. "God damn that hurts," he wheezed, rubbing his chest.

Jen turned towards him and tried to adjust the swatch of cloth he was using for a makeshift scarf, but her improvised mittens made it almost impossible and her fingers had lost almost all feeling. She wriggled her hands beneath the covering, trying to visually confirm that her digits were still mobile. They moved. Barely. Jen knew the signs of hypothermia and had studied the affects of extreme cold, but experiencing both at the same time was another matter entirely.

A steady temperature they could likely hold against.

But this… this was too fast.

Two more candles flickered and went out, leaving them staring at a single pinpoint of light.

Jen shuddered violently, banging her knees against each other and losing her balance when her feet couldn't move to compensate for her loss of balance. She bumped between the two men like a pinball.

"Doc?" Sanchez hooked his arm through hers.

"I'm g-good," she mumbled, clinging to him for support. She tried hard not to reveal just how badly she was starting to shake, but knew she'd failed when the Captain hooked his arm around her waist.

"Floor's frozen," Ellis pointed out the shimmering tint now surrounding their boots.

"Crap," Jen coughed at the pins of pain in her chest.

Then the final candle died and their world went black.

Flickers of orange dots danced across Jen's open eyes. She blinked repeatedly, reassuring herself that her eyes were indeed still open. She knew she was still facing the same direction, but the complete lack of light was very discerning. Almost dizzying. She swayed.

Sanchez shifted and pulled her around to face him and wrapped his arms around her. "Hang on, Doc…" he whispered, his voice cracking with a half-cough.

Jen wasn't sure if her legs were holding her up, or if it was just the Captain's support that was keeping her from toppling over. Instant exhaustion flowed over her and she sagged further against him. Sleep would be so easy. So very, very easy.

Moments passed. But how long? Was their time up? Had they failed? Was it over?

Behind her, Ellis started coughing. Each cough was followed with a pained, muffled gasp. Jen tried to shake off the dullness, but her brain didn't want to cooperate.

There was a muffled thump, then total silence.

Jen pushed weakly against Sanchez. "Ellis?"

Sanchez wobbled slightly, bobbling Jen as he struggled to keep on his feet.

"Have t-to h-help," she wriggled.

The captain's arms fell away.

Unsheltered, Jen gasped at the pain of the cold temperature closing across her torso. Sharp knives cut through her lungs with each breath. Concentrating on the Lieutenant, she turned and stepped forward, but her feet didn't move with her. Unable to feel her limbs, and with no visual reference, she tumbled forward with a sickening spin and landed hard with a teeth jarring snap onto the frozen floor. She tried to roll, but somehow she was too heavy.

She couldn't move… and she couldn't quite remember why it was she needed to.

Evan.

Evan promised.

Promised...

...something.

A kiss?

No.

A dream.

She couldn't remember.

_So tired…_

A long, rumbling vibration teased across her spine, shaking her back and forth.

Rocking her.

Soothing her.

Lulling her to sleep.

.


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN MINUTES EARLIER**

Reviewing mission reports in his office, Richard Woolsey was not really all that surprised when the gate alarms began sounding. He may have jumped a little when the first siren went, not that he'd admit it to anyone. He briefly considered having the sounds lowered slightly so they weren't so… shocking.

Standing, he glanced at the list on his desk of off-world teams, his eyes immediately signaling out the names of the group he'd flagged as potential issues. He'd crossed off SGA1 earlier this morning after the Colonel and his team had successfully returned to the city from 322. Now the top seeded rank went to SGA2 who'd had a medical emergency requiring Dr. Keller. He stepped around his desk and out onto the hallway.

"Unscheduled off-world activation," Chuck announced as Richard approached. The gate tech turned towards him. "Major Lorne's IDC."

Richard blinked and tried not to sigh. Of course it was. "Lower the shield," he ordered, wondering just what had gone wrong this time.

He moved towards the railing overlooking the main floor.

Richard wasn't sure quite what he expected to be coming through the gate… he had seen a lot in his tenure as base commander… but he certainly wasn't prepared for Lieutenant Browne and the city's second in command to exit the wormhole with a very superman'esque flight. The two men landed heavily on the marbled floor, half rolling, half sliding to a skidding halt at the feet of the positioned security teams.

"Cutting it close a bit there, sir?" Browne grimaced, shoving himself up to his knees.

"You're alive, aren't you?" Evan retorted, standing.

Blinking away his surprise when the wormhole closed and no one else had come through, Richard hurried down the stairs. "Major?" he called out.

"No time to explain," the Major announced, showing Richard his palm. "Is the Colonel back?"

"Colonel Sheppard and his team returned earlier this morning," one of the lieutenants answered.

Richard shook his head, nothing their lack of protective gear and weapons. "Major, where are your… things?"

Major Lorne tapped his earpiece and pushed Lieutenant Browne towards the back of the gate room. "Major Lorne to Colonel Sheppard."

Richard stepped aside as the two men barreled past him. "Uh… Major?" he called after their retreating backs. "Major? Is something wrong? Where are the others? Major?"

The Director sighed as the two men disappeared at a half-run. Part of him wanted to follow after and demand answers, and the other half wanted to plead ignorance and wait for the mission report. He had a sinking feeling that this was going to be one of those times where he was going to have to edit heavily before sending the paperwork to the SGC.

.

* * *

.

John and Ronon were the first of the reinforcements to reach the jumper bay. They jogged straight towards Evan.

"Major," John nodded, his expression grim as he hurried up the ramp and into the jumper. "Let's get this show on the road."

"How can they freeze a planet?" Rodney huffed as came around the corner and into the hangar, waiving his arms madly at the man beside him. "It was a tropical paradise a few hours ago! I bet Keller had something to do with it."

Evan shook his head in surprise at the sight of the man hurrying alongside the scientist—Dr. Carson Beckett.

His mind flip flopped back and forth between the knowledge that Carson was back in the city, and the fact that Sheppard had brought along a doctor. Stupidly he hadn't thought about requesting a doctor; his entire psyche was filled with panic to the jumper and back to the planet. Further proof that his brain was completely off track with this entire situation. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly and this just proved his point. He needed to get his head away from his heart and concentrate on getting her back—them back—alive and in one piece. He shook off his confusion and forced himself to push the _who_ was being rescued out of his mind. He'd be no good to her if he couldn't concentrate.

"Evan, lad," Carson nodded, clamping his hand on Evan's shoulder as they hurried up into the Jumper.

"I didn't even know you were back in the city," Evan apologized, taking the two bags Carson carried and stowing them.

"He's only been back an hour," Rodney commented as he dropped into a rear seat. "And this was supposed to be our day off."

"Aye, and I'm sure we'll continue with our day once we retrieve Dr. Keller and the others, Rodney," Carson chastised.

"Well I'm glad you're here," Evan nodded, slamming a cap on the well of panic that was churning in his gut.

Evan brushed past the others and dropped himself into the co-pilots seat. He'd had half a desire to fly the damn thing himself, not trusting anyone else with the fear he was feeling, but in this case the Colonel's uncanny communication connection with Ancient tech won the argument.

Browne slapped his hand across the rear hatch access, closing the back. The second Sheppard claimed the pilots seat, the ship began to lift off the floor.

Rodney reached beneath his seat and extracted a tablet. "It's a good thing we made these damn things standard issue on these jumpers with the way you guys plan rescue missions," he muttered, jabbing his fingers at the screen.

"Because rescue missions always give us time for planning," Ronon scowled as he balanced himself on the bulkhead between the forward and rear sections.

"I'm just saying…" Rodney turned to the Satedan, then decided better of it. Instead he shifted his attention to Evan. "The ZPM was empty?"

Evan glanced at his watch. "As of five minutes ago, it would have been completely drained."

"Well there's no information about the lab in the Ancient Database," Rodney announced, frowning at his tablet. "If they were me they would have constructed it with highly insulating materials and a better backup plan but they weren't me so I'm guessing they're working with regular Ancient construction materials and no backup plan."

"Which means?" John prompted as the jumper cleared the ceiling access and dropped into the gate room.

"Which means," Rodney glanced up, "you need to step on it."

Evan punched in the gate address. The jumper rotated towards the forming wormhole.

"There were no injuries?" Carson asked.

Evan shook his head. "Everyone was fine when we left, Doc… but when they lost the ZPM they lost their only source of heat. The air outside was closing on 100 degrees below."

The jumper shot forward, propelling them across the event horizon.

John whistled when the white world came into view. "Damn, that's one hell of a winter wonderland you've got there Major."

The world below them was frozen as far as they could see. The setting sun floated low on the horizon, adding a yellowed glow to the sparkling surface. On another occasion the artist in him may have noted the beauty. But at the moment he could see only death.

There was no way there was anything left alive.

The HUD flickered across the front screen of the jumper.

"There," Evan pointed to a structure outlined on the map of the planet. Inside the outline blinked three small red dots. The flickering lights soothed his frayed nerves like a balm. They were still alive.

"Less than two minutes," John announced, glancing at the display.

Evan bit down on the demand to go faster, knowing full well the Jumper was moving at its atmospheric limit. Guilt twisted his insides into a painful knot. They were living on borrowed time, and he'd left them behind.

As he'd done over the entire run from the lab to the DHD, Evan planned and discarded a dozen other options they could have tried to get them all back to the city. But no matter how many different variations he analyzed, splitting up and making a run for it had been the only option with the highest save percentage.

It had to work.

He glanced over his shoulder at his Lieutenant, who was hovering behind Ronon, eyes on the HUD. Browne answered with his own bleak stare. They were sitting comfortably in a jumper while their friends froze to death on the planet below.

_Fuck_.

As though reading his thoughts, the Colonel asked about the outside temperature.

"Minus ninety-six point five and falling," Rodney confirmed. "Dropping to negative two fifty three once the sun goes down, which is in fourteen minutes."

"And we're sure there's no insulation in the building?" John asked.

The HUD shifted into a closer view of the ancient lab, overlaying floor plans with the highlighted structural diagram. The central area of the facility was horseshoed by a half dozen smaller rooms. In the middle of the biggest area, three blinking dots were nearly overlapping.

Rodney leaned forward. "Standard materials. No additional insulation. Without shield protection its completely exposed. Stupid, if you ask me. I mean who constructs a building on a planet that's two hundred and fifty three degrees below zero in the middle of summer without an added layer of insulation?"

John glanced over his shoulder. "How cold will it get inside?"

Rodney blinked. "The same as the outside?" he said, as though speaking to a child.

John made a face. "How quickly will the inside temperature drop?"

Rodney made a quick calculation on his tablet. "If they used standard construction materials… it should be… seventy-three point two degrees below zero. Or so."

"Or so?" John quizzed.

"Well I'm not inside the building with a thermometer, now am I?" the scientist retorted.

Carson leaned into the aisle. "Extreme cold can be quite dangerous. They haven't been exposed very long, but I admit the rapid drop in temperature is a bit concerning. We may be dealing with elements far passed simple hypothermia and frostbite."

The Doctor's words hit at Evan like a punch to the gut. "How bad," he managed to ask, thinking of the deer forever frozen in position near the DHD.

Carson tipped his head as though considering his answer. Evan could tell from the man's expression that the answers were not good. The Doctor quickly shook off whatever he'd been about to say. "Luckily the Ancients have made amazing discoveries in reanimating frozen tissue," he finally said.

"_Reanimating frozen tissue_?" John glanced over his shoulder at Beckett. "We're not defrosting burgers, Doc."

Carson made a face. "I'm not talking about heating leftovers in a microwave, Colonel. Earth doctors have been working on reviving animals frozen alive for quite some time."

"Animals…" Ronon scowled. "Not people."

"The principle works the same as with cryogenics, Ronon, only a wee bit more… well let's just say that the Ancients appear to have perfected the technique of reviving a healthy adult exposed to extreme temperatures. Although I have yet to see it in action myself."

"Well you may be getting that chance," John said, his voice betraying too much emotion.

Evan turned towards the Colonel, then glanced at the HUD. His heart skipped a beat then added an extra stutter step. There were now only two lifesigns.

"We've lost one," John noted, indicating the presence of only two life-signs.

Carson hopped up and moved towards the back of the jumper. Ronon and Browne parted to give him access. "How much time, Colonel," he called out.

"Thirty seconds," John called out.

Evan jumped out of his seat. "What do you need, Doc?"

Carson reached into the overhead storage area. He pulled out one of the cold weather suits and tossed it at Evan. "You'll need this, Major." He threw another one at Browne, and pulled another out for himself. He glanced at Ronon. "Sorry big man, I doubt they'll fit."

Evan didn't need to see Ronon's expression to know the Satedan was not happy at being left out.

"These aren't going keep long," Carson nodded as he grabbed a set for himself. "But hopefully it will provide enough protection to get us inside and get them out."

"Wait, wait, wait," Rodney called out, snapping his fingers. He waved his hand at the Colonel. "How close can you get?"

"To the building?" John glanced up as Rodney stepped up to the console.

"Yes, yes," Rodney pointed to the HUD. "If you can get us to within twenty feet, I can extend the shield. That way we can just lower the hatch and bring them inside."

"Like your whale?"

"Yes." Rodney nodded emphatically. "Exactly."

Evan tossed the exposure suit aside and pushed into the cockpit. The building appeared on the horizon, shrouded in trees on three sides. The entire surface area was sparkling white.

"There," he pointed to the back corner where there was a small open area.

"Not close enough," Rodney jabbed at the two dots. "We need to get closer."

Evan shook his head. "Any closer and we'll be inside the building."

"Then we'll be inside the building," John nodded, swinging the jumper around and dropping it into the narrow clearing behind the building.

Evan didn't miss the guarded tone in the Colonel's voice. It usually followed a seat-of-the-pants maneuver that cut awfully close to crazy… but right now, staring at the blinking double dots, Evan was pretty sure crazy was exactly what they needed.

"You can't be serious," Rodney exclaimed, sinking quickly into his chair. "Of course you're serious."

"Well if you're making us a door, Colonel," Carson added, taking a seat across from Rodney. "I suggest you get to it."

"Brace yourself," John called out.

Evan stared hard at the still-blinking dots on the display. The explosion left a huge, smoking crater in the side of the building, but the dots didn't waiver. He let out the breath he'd been holding as the Colonel swung the jumper around and backed smoothly in through the wide, jagged opening.

"Good thing these guys made tall ceilings," John muttered, glancing up through the torn and tattered building structure.

The jumper settled onto the floor. The Colonel stood and turned towards Rodney expectantly.

Rodney picked up his tablet, his fingers expertly dancing across the screen. "Almost…and….done."

"Lets get our people," John ordered, moving quickly to the back of the jumper, with Evan and Carson at his heels.

Ronon slammed his hand down on the hatch release, dropping the tailgate. Cold air slapped across their skin. Evan swore, his breath closing around him with a misty warning. Even the walls were frozen.

"Shit," John exhaled. "Keep the engine warm," he called out to Rodney.

Crunching quickly across the frozen floor, they maneuvered through the debris towards the white layered door near the back of the room. Evan reached for a piece of debris blocking the access panel.

Carson grabbed his wrist, holding his hand. "Don't touch, Major. It's still cold enough to burn the skin."

"Right," Evan nodded, using his shoulder to shove the panel to the floor. He swiped his hand across the now exposed sensor.

The door creaked, but remained firmly closed.

John reached forward and tried the door access himself, but it remained firmly sealed.

"It's frozen," Ronon shoved at John's shoulder. "Move." He pulled his blaster and aimed a concussive blast at the door. "Now try."

John rolled his eyes at the Satedan. "Can't get through a day without shooting something…" He turned and waved his hand in front of the sensor. With a soft beep the door swung open. "Nice job, Chewey."

They hurried into the room. In the narrow band of light from the open doorway, they could make out three bundled figures piled on the frosted floor.

"Oh hell," Evan exhaled as he ran forward and dropped to his knees next to Jennifer. He threaded his fingers under the woolen strip around her neck, frantically seeking a pulse. Her skin was cold. So cold. A tiny flicker of rhythm tapped against the pads of his fingers. He held his breath, willing himself to believe she was still alive. That he wasn't too late.

"Get Ellis to the jumper," Carson ordered, turning towards Ronon. "Immediately."

Evan knew by the Doctor's tone that the missing life sign was that of the young Lieutenant.

Without hesitation Ronon hefted Ellis up over his shoulder. He covered the ground to the exit with purposeful strides.

Evan picked up Jennifer's still form. His heart nearly stopped beating when her frozen clothing creaked. She hung stiffly in his arms, frozen and unmoving. He said a silent prayer in hopes Carson was right about the Ancient tech.

Carson waved John over to help him with Sanchez. "Help me get him up, Colonel."

The two men hauled Sanchez up and dragged him back to the jumper with Evan and his precious cargo following at their heels.

.


	11. Chapter 11

_Am I dead?_

The thought wavered on the edge of Jennifer's consciousness while she halfheartedly tried to decipher the muffled conversations above her. Male or female, she couldn't tell. The spoken words were distorted as though coming from a great distance. But they were definitely angry. Shouting if she had to guess. Arguing about something.

Jen was neither cold nor warm, which should have worried her considering the fact that she'd likely frozen to death on the floor of the ancient lab. So technically she should be feeling really, really cold. Odd that she wasn't.

She couldn't feel her limbs. Or the rest of her body, really. Couldn't even tell if she was breathing. Was she conscious?

Somehow she'd always thought there would be more to the afterlife than… well… nothing but people yelling in the distance.

A metallic click echoed, coming from all directions, yet no real direction. She briefly tried to place the sound, but soon gave up and drifted lazily in the nothingness.

_Was this really all there was? _

Then came the light. It was a soft yellow glow flowed of nowhere. It covered her completely. Jen thought she must have been smiling. It was like being at the beach on a blue skied summer day. If she was suddenly warm now, was she cold before and just hadn't noticed?

The light increased. The warmth increased. But it didn't stop. And now she was starting to burn. Instead of soothing warmth, the heated light scorched like raw fire. In her mind she shied away, but she knew her body remained stationary.

She knew she was screaming, but the deafening echo went unheard.

_This must be hell._

Just when she thought it would surely kill her, the light fizzled and faded, leaving her sobbing in the darkness. But it wasn't over.

Now she was spinning…except she knew she wasn't really moving. But her equilibrium was gone. She was both upside down and right side up at the same time as though she were split in two and riding the twirling teacups at the county fair… in absolute blackness. She was turning so quickly she was coming apart.

It went on and on... churning and churning… twisting her around and around until she was sure she was being pulled apart, tendon by tendon. Sharp points of pain needled up her arms and legs, travelling with agonizing slowness, moving from the tips of her fingers and toes, all the way to her torso and ending in the center of her chest. Millions of pinpricks. Poking. Jabbing. Stabbing into her chest. She couldn't breathe.

She needed to breathe, damn it!

With a loud pop, everything stopped.

The pain. The spinning. All gone.

Sucking in massive gulps of air, she ignored the voices telling her to take it slowly. Her mind didn't want advice… it wanted escape. Air meant life, but she still couldn't comprehend what the hell was happening to her. She could feel her heart pounding. Her body ached, her limbs were dead weight.

Faces blurred in the air before her. She tried to swat them away, but barely managed to lift her arm.

"Easy lass," a familiar brogue broke through the panic. She blinked furiously trying to clear her vision.

_Carson? _ She tried to ask what was going on… where she was… but she barely managed a croak.

She focused on the background. Dark walls. Columns and marbling. Recessed lighting and a brown and beige patterned décor.

Atlantis.

_But how?_

"It's good to have you back," Carson nodded and smiled. "Now don't you be trying to move."

"Stay still, Doc," another voice chimed in.

Confusion gave way to surprise, then relief and a dozen other emotions. _Evan._

He'd made it.

_Well of course he'd made it. How else would I be here? _

Jen rolled her head to get a better look at him. To prove to herself he really was there. She caught a brief glimpse of his smile before the tiny motion sent sparks of pain across her neck and shoulders. She hissed and closed her eyes.

"The sensitivity will pass, lass." Carson soothed. "Apparently it's a bit of a side effect of the reanimation process."

"Side effect?" she whispered, cracking her eyes open and meeting the Doctor's gaze. "Reanimation?"

"Aye. I'm afraid the Ancients failed to mention that little tidbit in their preliminary findings. Lieutenant Ellis discovered it the hard way. The Major here cut his rescue a little close to the wire, I'm afraid."

"Hey! Now wait a minute—" Evan cut in.

Carson grinned, ignoring the Major's protest. "Thankfully the Ancients were quite thorough in the rest of the process of reanimating frozen tissue." He held up an auto-injector. "Now before you start asking all those questions I know are bouncing around in that pretty head of yours, you need sleep, and you aren't going to get it on the table. Moving you will cause considerable pain so I'm going to sedate you and get you into a bed."

Jen opened her mouth to argue but Carson placed the injector against her neck and triggered it before she could speak. Darkness closed around her and she dropped into nothingness.

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* * *

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Jen fought against the sleepy grip of the drugs and tried to force herself to wake, but the warmth and comfort of the blankets and the familiar sounds of the infirmary were too soothing. She failed several times before finally managing to blink her eyes open and keep them that way. Dim lighting and hushed voices gave away the general time of day, but she had no real idea of what time of night it was, only that the night shift was still on the floor.

She tentatively moved her head, happy to note there was no pain, only the slight stiffness that came from lying in the same position too long. She rubbed her face and pushed the traces of sleep from her eyes.

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

_Evan_.

She smiled and turned her head towards the shifting shadow on her right. Evan leaned forward in his chair, bringing his face closer to hers. Her cheeks warmed to know he was there… that he'd waited for her.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey, yourself." He reached for her fingers.

Jen clasped his hand. "So…"

"So," he grinned.

"You're okay?"

"Of course."

"Ellis and Sanchez?"

He tipped his head towards the privacy curtain on her other side. "Back corner, confined to bed. Carson said he wants to double check all the side effects are gone but he figures you'll all be good to go in the morning."

Jen sighed with relief. "I have so many questions I don't even know where to start."

"Cole's notes?"

"Yes, please." She shifted herself higher on the bed and settled in while Evan told her of their run to the gate and then the subsequent rescue.

"You blew a hole in the building?" she asked, incredulous. Realizing she'd spoken too loudly for the quiet hour, Jen slapped her hand over her mouth. "What if the roof had collapsed?" she hissed, half-laughing.

"Wasn't my idea," Evan shrugged and shook his head.

"Uh-huh…" Jen nodded. "Of course it wasn't. I swear that man has more lives than a dozen cats put together. You couldn't have just taken the door?"

His smile faltered. He teased his thumb across the back of her hand. "Carson said if we'd been much longer, we would have lost you all."

"You were right on time."

"Barely." He made a face. "Ellis had quite a story to tell about the whole reanimation thing."

Jen thought of the strange and painful sensations she'd experienced earlier. She shook her head slowly. "I thought I was dead."

"Damn Jen, you had me worried. You were… well…_frozen_. Ellis wasn't breathing, and you and Sanchez…" He rose from the chair and moved closer. "Carson was convinced the Ancient tech would do what it said it would. He guinea pigged Ellis first, since he was in the worst shape. Then Sanchez. You seemed to be the least…"

"Dead?" she prompted.

"Frozen," he glowered, clearly not liking her wording.

Jen wrinkled her nose. "It was like… being disconnected… you know? Well, no you don't know… but…okay I was thinking… and awake… but I couldn't feel anything. Then this light started."

Evan nodded. "Ellis said it burned like bitch."

"It did. Definitely painful. And just when I thought I was going to burst into flame or something, it stopped and then everything started spinning." She shook her head, clearing away the memory. "It was, by far, the most painful thing I think I've ever experienced. Except I'm not sure I actually experienced it."

He lifted her hand with his and kissed her knuckles. "I'm so sorry, Jen…"

"Don't," she ordered. "You got us out."

"Not soon enough."

"Soon enough," she countered. A yawn caught her off guard and she laughed. "Sorry."

"I should go. You need rest."

Jen squeezed his hand, preventing him from withdrawing his fingers. She knew he wasn't leaving the city, but a tiny flutter of panic settled in her chest regardless. "Evan…"

"Hey," he smiled. "I'm not going far."

"I know… it's just… before… on the planet…" She flipped through a dozen thoughts and statements, tossing out the embarrassing ones and the ones that made her sound desperate. How exactly was she supposed to put it all into words that didn't come out sounding like she was 13 again?

Evan spoke first. "I meant what I said."

Jen blinked and tried furiously to remember what exactly he'd said and when. "Which part?"

"I promise that once Carson says you're good to go, we're going to have that little discussion we talked about."

"We are?"

"We are."

"Not now?"

"Not now." He shook his head. "Not _here_ either."

"No?"

"When we have _that_ discussion…" He inched his face closer to hers, then changed trajectory and dropped his mouth next to her ear. "We'll be doing it much more privately," he whispered.

"Oh," she flushed. "So…"

He smiled down at her. "Yes, I mean it. No, I I'm not kidding. No, it wasn't just spur of the moment. And yes, you _have_ been driving me absolutely crazy since the moment I first met you and I can't stop thinking about you and I'm really hoping you're going to agree with me here or I've just spewed a whole lot of something for nothing—"

Jen pressed her fingertips against his lips. "Stop," she laughed. "I agree. I agree."

"Thank god," he grinned. He leaned down and kissed her quickly, lifted his head, then kissed her again. "I have to go," he muttered, "or I'm never going to leave."

"Then go?"

"I'm trying," he sighed and straightened up. "Okay," he took a few steps back. "You. Sleep. Or Carson isn't going to let you go tomorrow and I'll end up in the brig because I'm going to have to kidnap you."

"You've obviously thought this through."

The look on his face made her cheeks burn.

"You have _no_ idea…" he mumbled. "Okay. I'm leaving."

"So you said."

"I mean it." He took another step back.

Jen knew if she asked him to stay, he would, but that would totally defeat the purpose of having her get some rest… and having him get some rest as well. Not that she was going to be getting a moment of sleep with her mind doing flip flops after his impromptu speech.

"Good night," she finally managed, even though she really didn't want him to go.

He'd made it all the way to the foot of her bed. Then he swore and turned on his heel and headed out of the infirmary. He stopped, walked back to the bed, kissed her, turned, and left again.

"Gracious," Jen whispered as his footsteps faded. She smiled up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. So she made him crazy did she? Good.

Definitely…good.

He was crazy about her.

Jen sighed while her heart did a happy dance behind her ribs.

_Is it tomorrow yet?_

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END .:


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